BY MIKE CETERA
The Sun-Times has a nice breakdown today of what an increased sales tax means for Chicagoans. Beginning today, if you buy something in the city, you'll pay the highest sales tax in the country.
Over at the Trib, they have a chart showing how much in taxes you'd pay in various towns when you purchase a laptop computer.
From the Sun-Times:
Sales tax rates differ from town to town in Illinois because certain municipalities are given home-rule authority, allowing them to implement their own sales taxes among other powers. So west suburban Stone Park's 10.5 percent sales tax includes a 1 percent sales tax take for all Illinois municipalities, plus Stone Park's additional 1.5 percent home-rule-enabled sales tax.Outside Cook County, a municipality's sales tax revenues are divided like this: 5 percent goes to the state; 1 percent goes to the city, except for unincorporated areas, in which case it goes to the county, and 0.25 percent to the county, according to Mike Klemens, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Revenue in Springfield.
The collar counties surrounding Cook -- DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will -- impose sales taxes of 6.25 percent each, plus a 0.75 percent RTA tax. Cook is the only county with home-rule sales tax authority.
Neither story provides information about what Fox Valley shoppers pay. But the Illinois Department of Revenue has a handy list that gives the scoop (In collar counties, add .5 percent increase for RTA tax).
Using the example of $1,075.95 laptop computer, here's where local communities would fall:
Aurora (Kendall) -- 8.50 percent or $91.46
Aurora (DuPage, Kane and Will) -- 8.25/$88.77
Yorkville (Kendall Marketplace District) -- 7.75/$83.39
Batavia (Kane and DuPage) -- 7.50/$80.70
North Aurora -- 7.50/$80.70
Naperville -- 7.25/$78.00
Oswego -- 7.25/$78.00
Yorkville (outside Kendall Marketplace District) -- 7.25/$78.00
Montgomery (Kendall) -- 7.25/$78.00
Geneva -- 7/$75.32
Montgomery (Kane) -- 7/$75.32
The highest Fox Valley sales tax -- the Kendall County portion of Aurora -- would be placed directly in the middle of the Tribune graphic -- higher than Downers Grove, lower than unincorporated Cook.
The people of Denmark pay a significant amount in taxes and as a result the quality of their lives is significantly better than our own.
I think its sad that we are the richest country and have the least 'happiness'. The title of the blog expresses our greatest weakness... Greed.
@6, You are making a terrible argument that the correlation from high taxes proves causality, in the form of quality of life. This is a logical fallacy. To illustrate, let’s look at the carbon dioxide emissions in the 40’s compared to today. Obviously, carbon dioxide emissions are way up. Similarly, the crime rate in the 40’s, when compared with today, are higher too. Therefore, can we really say that carbon dioxide emissions cause crime? I hope you see the fallacy of this argument.
“… we are the richest country and have the least 'happiness'.” And imagine that, we have a huge line of immigrants begging for the opportunity to live in this nation. Perhaps we’re so unhappy here that we ought to let them know that their better off in their own country – after all, there’s little happiness here. Do you want to tell them?
Oo! An economist!
It can be argued that the taxes they pay is a direct result of their quality of life because the types of programs their government sponsors with that tax money. They encourage community involvement, formation of social groups, and offer free workshops/classes to the public to improve cognitive skills and social interactions; all of which improve the quality of one's life. I could go on.
Granted, my statement alone does not prove causality-because to prove that I would need extensive research. However, it is no surprise to experts as to why the Danish are consistently ranked among the 'happiest' in the world. It comes down to their WILLINGNESS to support each other, aka 'paying taxes'. My original comment was written to point out a bigger picture, and that is if a society is WILLING to pay more taxes to support their own, then they will be 'happier'.
Also AnalYtical Reader,
Your logic is flawed because you do not examine immigration in perspective to a scale of the quality of life. If somebody is living in a country with a 'happiness' factor of 2, then immigrating to another country with a factor of '5' is a significant upgrade in the quality of life. That does not mean a level 5 on the happiness scale is sufficient.
@6,
You are silly. You said, "we are the richest country and have the least 'happiness'" Therefore, why would anyone want to come to this nation if we are "least" (being the lowest in position of something.) Hence, you factor of 2 to 5 to whatever, makes no sense if we, the USA, are the bottom of the pile.
Now, since I give to my Church, offer my time to volunteer efforts, etc., are you really suggesting that these efforts, being nonmonetary in value (aka taxes), do not make my community a better place? Are you suggesting that money, and its subsequent uses, solves all ales? Perhaps you should re-examine your statements. Money solves nothing. Ideas and action are what matter. You need to change people’s hearts and minds if you want to see change. All the money in the world won’t affect that. Ever heard the saying that about throwing money at a problem? There’s a lot of truth in those lessons.
I'll take the 'silly' comment as a compliment!
I meant the US is ranked ONE OF the least happiest. (I can't fix typos, sorry). Obviously Americans have a better quality of life than those who reside in Darfur. I'm not going to knit-pick every word you say because most of it is disconnected. You make way too many assumptions from what I write. Nobody challenged your supposed commitment to the community nor brought up any of your comments on money. I think its funny that you completely ignored my emphasis of people's WILLINGNESS to support their own countrymen. Because that is the real issue as to why people complain about taxes. They want to greedily keep all of their "hard earned" money as oppose to sharing it to enhance the community as a whole. Its exactly as you say, ideas (improving the greater good) and action (sharing). Your community involvements make this a better place, but better is not always good enough.
American culture has emphasized the 'self' and 'individuality' for many decades now. Its no wonder some of us are completely oblivious to the idea of paying taxes to benefit the greater good. Its hard to objectively analyze your own behavior when you are submersed in a culture that emphasizes itself as the norm.
I just think its sad that with all the resources we have (intelligence, money, and innovations, among other things) we still fall way behind other countries when it comes to our level of happiness.
I think most folks complain about taxes because of the misappropriation of their hard earned dollars. Corruption, cronyism, wasteful spending, handouts, freebies, call it whatever you like, these are the reasons people hate taxes. Most people don’t mind paying taxes for schools, as an example. But when School Boards misappropriate funds, people are, and should be, incensed.
We are a results-driven society. When people or entities are given funding, we expect results. That’s just the nature of it -- we want fairness and equality. This is one of the bedrocks this GREAT nation was founded upon.
As the old saying goes: “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”—Author unknown
I think the point is missed. Greedy politicians are why Americans do not want to pay higher taxes. If I trusted the Illinois Legislature to actually use my hard earned tax money for the good of the people who live in Illinois; I would be happy to give them a bit more. The problem is that these greedy, no good, money loving, Blag-Oish, politicians only think about themselves and their friends. Not the people they are supposed to represent.
So, it's not the taxes, or people not paying taxes; it's the corrupt politicians that are everywhere and seem to continue to get themselves elected because people just don't care.
Now, I'll take my soap box and leave.
And I think the Danish don't spend their entire day making accusations of: corruption, cronyism, wasteful spending... etc.
I disagree with your idea that its society's desire for results because people complain about taxes BEFORE they are even officially established. The complaints come before the taxes can even be put to work.
Fairness and equality is understandable. And I don't think its fair that people expect things like good roads, productive citizens, police on the streets, and fire trucks for free!
My theory is: if you don't like it, move to Monte Carlo. Let the rest of us pay for nice roads to drive on, better schools to increase the value of our homes, and free handouts to people who need it.
Teaching a man to fish cost money! lol. Tax money!