NEW PROPOSAL FROM GOVERNOR JB PRITZKER IS LOOKING TO REMOVE THE STATE TAX ON GROCERIES.

THE TAX COULD SAVE ILLINOIS SHOPPERS HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS A YEAR.

THE MANY MUNICIPAL LEADERS SAY THAT WHILE THEY SUPPORT THE EFFORT, THEY'RE CONCERNED WITH HOW THE GOVERNOR PLANS TO MAKE UP FOR THE LOSS IN REVENUE SINCE THE MONEY COLLECTED FROM THE TAX SCHOOLS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE ARE LATANYA JACKSON WILSON, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE ADVOCACY AT THE SHRIVER CENTER ON POVERTY LAW AND MAYOR GARY GRASSO OF SERB IN A SUBURBAN BURR RIDGE.

THANK YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US.

WELL, TONY, I WANT TO START WITH YOU.

HOW WOULD ELIMINATING THIS TAX IMPACT PEOPLE WHO BUY GROCERIES, WHICH IS EVERYONE WHO BUYS COMPULSORY RIGHT?

>> IT WOULD PUT MORE MONEY IN PEOPLE'S POCKETS.

IF YOU'VE GONE TO THE GROCERY STORE LATELY, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN EASY.

IT IS VERY PRICEY.

THEY THE ITEMS AND RAISE THE PRICES AND WE'RE ALL EXPERIENCING THAT.

SO ONE PERCENT REDUCTION COSTS FOR GROCERIES.

IT IT'S A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

BUT WOULD YOU SAY THE IMPACT WOULD BE ON LIKE A LATINO COMMUNITY?

THE POVERTY RATE FOR PEOPLE FOR THE LATINO COMMUNITY IS HIGHER THAN THE AVERAGE RATE 11% IS POVERTY RATE IS 14% THE LATINO COMMUNITY.

28% FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITY.

AND SO THEIR INCOMES LOWER AND THIS WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT THEM IN TERMS OF GIVING THEM MORE MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS.

AND MAYOR GRASSO COULD ELIMINATE THE ONE PERCENT TAX HELP FAMILIES AND SURE THAT THERE'S A DEFINITION OF REGRESSIVE TAX THAT PROBABLY >> IS WITHIN THAT DEFINITION BECAUSE IT DOES IMPACT THE POOR COMMUNITIES MORE SO OUR CONCERN, OF COURSE, IS WHEN WE GET THE MONEY THAT A TAX PROVIDED, IT PROBABLY WAS NOT A GOOD TAX.

I THINK THE GOVERNOR CORRECTLY POINT NOW WHERE ONE OF 10 OR 12 OR 13 STATES THAT DO THIS.

SO MAYBE TO NOW GOING TO BE A DIRTY DOZEN THAT ARE SO TO SPEAK.

WHAT DO WE GET THE MONEY FOR THE MUNICIPALITIES?

MY JOB AS A MAYOR OF MY COMMUNITY, VARIOUS MAYORS AROUND THEIR JOB IS TO FUND AND PROVIDE SERVICES.

WE HAVE PENSION OBLIGATIONS.

WE HAVE OTHERS.

>> TALKING ABOUT SERVICES.

WHAT DOES THAT MONEY FROM THESE TAX, TEXAS TYPICALLY GOING TOWARDS?

SO OUR OUR BASIC SERVICES FROM GARBAGE REMOVAL TO PLOWING THE ROADS TO FIXING THE STREETS.

>> TO MAKING OUR POLICE OBVIOUSLY THE NUMBER ONE JOB OF GOVERNMENT IS TO KEEP PEOPLE AND PROPERTY SAFE.

SO ALL OF THIS MONEY GOES TO THIS AND EVEN ONE PERCENT.

AND IN OUR COMMUNITY.

I JUST GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE.

BURR RIDGE AS GOING TO LOSE TO IT TO USE THE WORD 200,250 $1000 A YEAR NOW FROM TAX, WHICH IS REAL MONEY TO A COMMUNITY SUCH AS MINE.

AND I CAN TELL YOU, MAYORS ARE ALREADY ENDED UP WHAT IT'S GOING TO COST THEM.

SO WE'RE LOOKING TO THE GOVERNOR TO SAY THIS IS AFFECTING LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

HOW ABOUT LOOKING AT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT DISTRIBUTIVE FUND WHAT WE CALL ELEGY DF AND WANT RAISE IT.

NOW, ANOTHER POINT BECAUSE YOU'VE ALREADY TAKEN THAT GOVERNOR PRITZKER.

TO BE FAIR, THE GOVERNOR ENDED BACK.

BUT PAST GOVERNORS HAVE TAKEN ALMOST 40% OF THAT MONEY AWAY FROM US IN THE LAST DECADE OR MORE.

AND SO GIVE US ANOTHER POINT ON THAT.

AND THAT WOULD PROBABLY MAKE IT UP.

THAT'S ON THEM.

WHAT HE'S SAYING.

>> WE BELIEVE THAT STRONG FAMILY, STRONG TAXES ARE AM ARE NECESSARY TO PROVIDE FOR SERVICES FOR OUR COMMUNITIES AND FOR OUR FAMILIES.

MAKING A DIFFERENT CHOICE IS WHAT'S NECESSARY HERE.

I WANT TO BREAK DOWN SOME NUMBERS TO CALL REPORTING ESTIMATED 80 MILLION IN LOST REVENUE FROM THIS.

>> OTHERS REPORTED AMOUNTS RANGING FROM 8 MILLION TO 30,000.

HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THIS CONCERN FOR MUNICIPALITIES?

>> THAT THINK THAT MUNICIPALITIES WANT THEIR COMMUNITIES TO BE STRONG.

THEY WANT THEIR FAMILIES TO BE STRONG.

THEY WANT PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO BUY GROCERIES AND NOT HAVE A TAX IMPOSED GROCERIES.

THERE'S THERE NEEDS TO BE AND MAKE ANOTHER CHOICE.

WE BELIEVE POVERTY IS A POLICY CHOICE AND WE CAN MAKE DIFFERENT CHOICES >> GOVERNOR, I WAS FREAKED OUT ON THIS.

THE GOVERNORS SUGGESTION THAT, WELL, WE'LL JUST LET COMMUNITIES DECIDE IF THEY WANT IMPOSE THE TAX LOCALLY.

THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

THAT WAS JUST THE WRONG APPROACH.

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TURN AROUND TELL THE COMMUNITIES WE'RE NOT GOING IMPOSE A GROCERY TAX IN BURR RIDGE.

THEY'RE NOT GOING TO DO BECAUSE I THINK PEOPLE RECOGNIZE AND MAYBE THAT'S NOT A GOOD TAX.

OUR CONCERN IS OKAY, GOVERNOR, NICE MOVE.

BUT WHEN YOU WEAR IT WHERE IT'S A YIN AND YANG, WHERE DO GET THAT MONEY?

SO THAT LEADS TO MY NEXT QUESTION.

THERE ARE CONCERNS OF MUNICIPALITIES WOULD JUST RAISE ANOTHER TAX TO MAKE UP FOR THE LOSS.

>> I'M GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

PROBABLY THE FIRST THING I'M GOING TO DO IS SEE HOW WE CAN BETTER MANAGE OUR VILLAGE.

SEE WHERE WE CAN.

>> TIGHTEN THE BELT A LITTLE BIT MORE AND MAKE UP FOR THAT LOST MONEY IN MY COMMUNITY.

WE CAN PROBABLY DO THAT EASIER BECAUSE IT'S NOT THAT SHOOT IN NUMBER.

BUT SOME COMMUNITIES, THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT.

AND SO THERE WILL HAVE TO BE ANOTHER WAY TO TAX OR OR TO HAVE SERVICE FEES, WHICH IS ANOTHER FORM OF TIME DURING OTHER CONCERNS FROM OTHER MAYORS.

YES, I THINK THE MAYORS WHO, YOU KNOW WHERE WHERE THEY HAVE A VERY TIGHT BUDGET WHERE THERE ARE STRUGGLING COMMUNITIES THAT TO PROVIDE SERVICE.

AND I SAID BEFORE, THE NUMBER ONE FUNCTION OF GOVERNMENT PUBLIC SAFETY, WHICH IS ON EVERYBODY'S MIND THEY'RE CONCERNED THERE ARE THESE THE OKAY?

THAT WAS IMPORTANT MONEY FOR A POLICEMAN.

THE WOMAN, A SQUAD CAR.

>> AND WANT TO GO TO YOU, THIS IS JUST ONE PERCENT AND CAN SEEM QUITE INSIGNIFICANT COMPARED TO OTHERS.

YOU KNOW WHY THIS?

BECAUSE GROCERIES PEOPLE IN >> AND WE SHOULDN'T BE PENALIZING OR MAKING MONEY OFF OF PEOPLE ARE USED TAXING FOOD AND GROCERIES, ESPECIALLY IN THIS ENVIRONMENT QUESTIONS HAVE INCREASED SO MUCH OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS WITH THINGS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS.

WELL, I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT PEOPLE WERE LIVING IN POVERTY 10 TO WORK.

THEY'RE WORKING PEOPLE.

AND ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS IS THAT THEIR SNAP BENEFITS PEOPLE WHO ARE YOU USING SNAP RECEIVING SNAP BENEFITS THAT HAS BEEN DECREASED.

THEY WERE RECEIVING A CERTAIN AMOUNT DURING THE PANDEMIC AND OVER THE LAST YEAR, THEY THEY'VE THAT HAS REDUCED.

THEY THEY'RE NOT RECEIVING AS MUCH AS SAY THEY WERE RECEIVING.

SO THIS IS A THIS IS A LARGE IMPACT ON PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN POVERTY AND PEOPLE WHO AND THIS IS AN ATTACK THAT ONE PERCENT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A LOT FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING A COUPLE $100,000.

IF YOU'RE MAKING $15,000 A YEAR, A $30,000 A YEAR TO TRY THAT HAS SOME FAMILIES WITH THE WORK THAT YOU DO WRITE.

YES, WE AND AND MAYOR GRASSO, WHAT KINDS OF CUTS COULD YOU BE LOOKING AT THERE ISN'T A WAY TO REBUILD REVENUE?

I KNOW YOU TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.

WE MIGHT DELAY A FEW THINGS.

I DON'T KNOW THAT WILL CUT WE MAY DELAY SOME ROAD IMPROVEMENTS AGAIN.

>> I AGREE THAT THE TAX PROBABLY SHOULD GO AWAY.

OBVIOUSLY A GALLON OF MILK IS A GALLON OF MILK AND THEY WERE SUSPENDED DURING THE PANDEMIC.

IT WAS.

AND AND SO WE MADE UP SOME.

BUT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS FEDERAL MONEY THAT CAME IN TO MAKE UP ON A LOT OF THE DIFFERENCES.

>> ALL THAT MONEY IS GONE AWAY TO STATES NOT GETTING INTO CITIES CITY, CHICAGO.

WE'RE NOT GETTING IT ANYMORE.

SO SO WE'LL PROBABLY BELT TIGHTENING.

WE MAY DELAY A FEW THINGS AS WE TRY TO FIGURE THIS OUT BOUND AND WE'RE GOING TO GO TO THE GOVERNOR AND SAY, REMEMBER THAT LOCAL JUST GOVERNMENT DISTRIBUTIVE FUND AND LG D F THAT YOU HAVE INCHED UP FOR US A LITTLE BIT.

THANK YOU FOR THAT.

LOOK AT IT AGAIN AND MAY BE INCHING UP A LITTLE BIT MORE NEXT YEAR TO MAKE FOR THIS DIFFERENCE, WHICH OVERALL SALES TAX AND NOT A GROCERY TAX BASED.

SO THAT'S MORE EQUITABLE.

THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR INPUT.

I