New life for a tax repeal

Chicago Tribune Editorial - Chicago,IL,USA

The bill would decrease from four-fifths to three-fifths the share of County Board members needed to override a board president's veto.

How important is that? Consider what happened the last time the board voted to repeal part of this unnecessary tax hike. Stroger vetoed that effort. In early September, the board's attempt to override his veto failed by one vote. Thirteen board members -- one shy of the 14 that would constitute four-fifths of the board's 17 members -- did vote to override Stroger's veto. Only four members stuck with Stroger. But that was enough to sustain his veto and block the repeal. A three-fifths threshold would mean that 11 board members could override Stroger's veto and peel back the tax. And that could translate into a big victory for Cook County taxpayers, if tax opponents on the County Board stick by their earlier votes. Cook County collects close to $400 million a year from consumers thanks to Stroger's tax hike, which took effect in mid-2008.

The bill is headed to Gov. Pat Quinn's desk. He has said he supports it. He should sign it immediately.