EAST PEORIA, Ill. – East Peoria is the latest central Illinois city to implement a local one percent grocery tax.
City Council on Tuesday night approved the measure, joining Pekin in approving tax to replace a state tax eliminated by Governor J.B. Pritzker. Washington and Peoria have also concerned similar taxes.
The tax will go into effect on January 1st, the same day the state tax is repealed.
Mayor John Kahl foretold of the city’s plans at his State of the City address in February, and slammed the governor’s decision at Tuesday night’s meeting.
“It was nothing more than a political stunt that placed the burden back on local governments to make us look bad,” Kahl said. “I don’t know that there’s too many local governments that cannot do anything but support extending this tax.”
Kahl further criticized Pritzker, saying he did the move for “working class people as he’s raising fees and taxes across the board on everything else.”
Commissioner Dan Decker says the tax is needed, because the city already has the money budgeted.
“Coming up with the revenue or cutting where that would effect is just not something that I believe the city should do,” Decker said.
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