From the ArcaMax Publishing, Business News Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/businessnews/s-371700-812113
CHICAGO (UPI) -- Chicago earned a national distinction Tuesday by
having the highest sales tax rate of any municipality in the country,
observers said.
Cook County, which includes Chicago, bumped its sales tax rate from
0.75 percent to 1.75 percent to make up for a budget shortfall, the
Chicago Tribune reported.
Because various municipalities in Illinois collect their own sales tax
under authority known as "home-rule," starting Tuesday, Chicago
shoppers will pay 10.25 percent sales tax.
Cook County is the only county in the state that is allowed home-rule
privileges, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Calculating sales tax in the area might require a global positioning
system: Shoppers spending $300 on taxable items in Chicago would be
taxed $30.75; in nearby Oakland Park, the same purchases would be
taxed $28.25 and in Libertyville, Ill., the same purchases would be
taxed $19.50, the Tribune reported.