Bag tax missing revenue goal but city touts drop in use of disposables

Cook County's soda tax may have been stalled by a court order, but Chicago's tax on disposable bags - in effect for six months - is not bringing in as much cash as the city had hoped.

Chicago aimed to raise $9.2 million from the 7-cents-a-bag fee in its first year. As of collection on June 18, the tax has raised nearly $2.4 million in the nearly five months since it took effect; that leaves it well off the mark, said Molly Poppe, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Finance.

That aside, the tax has had a significant environmental impact thus far, reducing disposable bag use per shopping trip by 42 percent in its first month, according to a preliminary April study.

Poppe said though the revenue collection is "below what we expected," the city hoped to discourage bag use with the tax, and "it's a benefit that residents are responding."

For the full story, click here.