New taxes buy the Chicago Transit Authority some time, but state lawmakers failed fix anything that led to the crisis. Here are three ways city leaders can fix the CTA.
Illinois lawmakers passed a new plan to keep Chicago-area public transit running. The plan hikes sales taxes in the Chicago area but stops major service cuts for the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra, and Pace.
State lawmakers are rushing a first-in-the-world wealth tax on billionaires. They also want taxes on streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify and steep surcharges on concerts and ticketed events.
Lawmakers may approve a statewide delivery tax on Doordash and Uber Eats to fund Chicago transit, hitting all Illinoisans who shop online, even those who don’t use CTA, Metra or Pace.
Prices for DoorDash, Uber, Ticketmaster and Illinois tolls might go up now to cover $1.5 billion for Illinois transit agencies. A real estate transfer tax for homes in the Chicago suburbs is also on the table.
Chicago Transit Authority ridership is still below pre-pandemic levels. Crime and a budget shortfall make matters worse, but there are cost-effective ways to make it safer.
Chicago Transit Authority violent crime hit its second-highest level since 2015, while the arrest rate dropped. CTA crime is threatening federal funding.
Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.