Uber sues Chicago suburb of Skokie over new ride-hailing tax

SKOKIE, Ill. (AP) - Uber is suing the Chicago suburb of Skokie, alleging that its new tax on ride-hailing services violates the Illinois constitution.

The lawsuit asks a Cook County judge to block Skokie from collecting the tax, which took effect Wednesday.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports Uber claims the village's ride-hailing ordinance violates Illinois' constitution by imposing a tax on a specific occupation.

The complaint says Skokie began charging ride-share companies 15 cents for every shared trip that begins or ends in the suburb, and 35 cents for every solo trip.

Skokie spokeswoman Ann Tennes says the village hasn't been served with the suit.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has proposed increasing fees for solo passengers on ride-hailing services.

An Uber spokesperson says a positive ruling in the Skokie case will likely impact Chicago.

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Information from: Chicago Sun-Times, http://chicago.suntimes.com/