Bell sounds in fight against Cook phone tax

BELL SOUNDS IN FIGHT AGAINST COOK PHONE TAX
[SOURCE: Chicago Tribune, AUTHOR: Jon Van]
A proposal to boost the average Cook County (IL) residential phone tax have stirred opposition from groups across the economic spectrum hoping to head off what appear to be an effort to balance the county's budget with hefty hikes in utility taxes. On Friday the Illinois Citizens Utility Board put a call to arms on its Web site asking consumers to unite in fighting the proposed new local taxes. Groups ranging from the Illinois Chamber of Commerce to the Ministerial Alliance Against the Digital Divide also seek to kill the tax hikes before they gain traction. County commissioners are looking at a variety of proposals intended to close the county's looming budget gap, and a proposal to add a $4 monthly tax on every telephone used in the county is one of many now on the table. But consumer advocates fear that county leadership is leaning toward the new tax on phones as well as increased taxes on gas and electric bills as the answer.
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