Protest taxes by shopping in suburbs

Since Mayor Daley and the Chicago City Council have been debating the city's 2009 budget, I used the city Web site and found all of the taxes and fees that the city government charges. These are the 18 city sales taxes that can easily be avoided by conducting business in other towns: cigarette tax, employers' expense tax, home rule municipal retailers' occupation tax, hotel accommodation tax, liquor tax, motor fuel tax, motor vehicle lessor tax, municipal automobile renting occupation tax, municipal automobile renting use tax, municipal hotel operators' occupation tax, off-track betting tax and admission fee, parking tax, personal property lease transaction tax, restaurant and other places for eating tax, soft drink tax, vehicle fuel tax, automatic amusement device tax and boat mooring tax.

If you think that the Chicago government receives enough of your money, please try to avoid paying many of these taxes by conducting more business in suburbs.

Phil Collins

North Chicago