With the repeal of the Cook County sweetened beverage tax, taxpayers remind elected officials who they represent.

With the repeal of the Cook County sweetened beverage tax, taxpayers remind elected officials who they represent.

The Cook County Board Finance Committee voted Oct. 10 in favor of an ordinance to repeal the unpopular sweetened beverage tax. The repeal measure now awaits a vote before the full board.

A new report from Can the Tax and the Illinois Food Retailers Association shows that beverage sales for Cook County retailers are down since 2016.

Cook County’s penny-per-ounce sweetened beverage tax has led to another lawsuit alleging a restaurant applied the tax incorrectly.

A We Ask America poll shows 87.5 percent of respondents think Cook County commissioners support the sweetened beverage tax for reasons other than health.

Retailers will now have to either program cash registers not to tax purchases made with food stamps, or implement a “manual override.”