January 25, 2008

 

 

RTA Poised to Approve Regional Sales Tax Increase for Mass Transit on Monday;

Sales Tax Collection to Begin No Earlier than April 1^st

 

A little more than a week after legislators and the Governor finally signed off on mass transit legislation,

the RTA Board of Directors will meet on Monday morning to approve an ordinance increasing the regional

sales tax for Cook and the Collar Counties.  Although the legislation calls for a regional sales tax increase of

0.25% in Cook County and 0.50% in the Collar Counties, the sales tax increase could not go into effect until

the RTA Board passed an ordinance increasing the tax.  Furthermore, the Department of Revenue cannot

begin collection of the increased sales tax for the Chicago-area until the first of the month no less than 60

days after the RTA files the ordinance with the Department.

 

The RTA Board was originally scheduled to meet on January 17^th- the day legislators returned to town to act

on the Governor’s amendatory veto giving all seniors free transit rides- but that meeting was delayed until the

28^th in anticipation of the finalization of the mass transit bill.  If the RTA Board approves the ordinance on

Monday, as expected, it will then be filed with the Department of Revenue, which, under the provisions of

the legislation, cannot begin to collect the new tax increase until April 1^st. 

 

Government Affairs Conference Call to Resume February 11^th

 

The Governor Affairs team will resume their weekly conference calls on Monday, February 11^th, at 3 pm. 

These calls will be held every Monday on weeks that the legislature is in session.  A reminder, with the call-in

information, will be sent out before each call.