Chicagoans pay extra to stream holiday movies on Netflix or Hulu because of the city’s 10.25% streaming tax. The cost was nearly $300 million in 2025.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson describes the 2026 budget as “Protecting Chicago,” but his plan seems to do the opposite. Taxes on Artificial Intelligence, Uber rides and companies with 100+ employees are the biggest revenue sources.

Apple’s new iPhone launch on Sept. 9 may be a celebration for tech consumers, but it also makes the Illinois taxman smile. Illinois already had the nation’s highest tax rate on cell phone plans before it bumped up even more July 1.

In 2017, Chicagoans paid $40 million in taxes on cloud computing and streaming services. It was $150 million this past fiscal year.

The Illinois Tollway is spending $33 million on toll machines, some of which can’t make change. The state agency’s legacy is broken promises, political patronage and overcharging Illinoisans.

Eventbrite will comply with the expanded Chicago amusement tax, and begin collecting and remitting the 9% citywide tax May 2.

Imposing more Mickey Mouse taxes in Illinois is just goofy, but that’s what a proposal in Springfield would do to users of the new Disney Plus and other streaming services.

PlayStation users will now see an extra 9 percent tax applied to some purchases on the platform.