McDonald's, Walgreens sued over sweetened beverage tax

CHICAGO (AP) - Two retailers are being sued over their alleged failure to properly levy new taxes on sweetened beverages being sold in the Chicago area.

A lawsuit filed against McDonald's Corp. alleges the fast-food giant is adding the beverage tax to the subtotal of orders before calculating other sales taxes. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in Cook County Circuit Court by Chicago resident Yvan Wojtecki claims it resulted in him being overcharged two cents.

Another lawsuit alleges Walgreens improperly charged the tax on unsweetened sparkling water.

The tax went into effect last week. Under the tax, drinks in a bottle, or from a fountain machine, are taxable.

Walgreens said last week it "inadvertently coded" some products incorrectly and is working to resolve the issue. McDonald's had no comment on the lawsuit targeting it.