1. CHICAGO ALDERMEN REVOLT AGAINST MAYOR ON INCREASING CITY’S CIGARETTE TAX
Chicago’stobacco tax isalready the highestin the nation,butthemayorwantsto increase it even more.
Southand WestSide aldermen believe that an increase in the tobacco tax will lead to an increase in
black-marketsalesand violence.They’reright.
Two Chicagoaldermenfromthe city’sSouthandWestSidesare pushingbackagainstthe mayor’s
proposedtobacco-tax hike,rightlypointingoutthatitwouldonlyleadtomore black-marketsalesand
violence.
Thingscame to a headFeb.8, whenthe Committee onFinance heldahearingonMayor Rahm
Emanuel’sproposedtobacco-taxhike.Insteadof quickpassage withlimiteddebate,anemboldenedCity
Council foughtback.The average cost of a packof cigarettespurchasedinthe cityof Chicagois $12,
$7.17 of whichis taxes.The mayor’sproposal wouldsetaminimumprice ona packof cigarettesat
$11.50, add a 15-cent tax per “little cigar,”impose a90-centtax on largercigars,add a tax of $1.80 per
ounce on smokelesstobacco,anda $6.60-per-ounce tax on roll-your-owntobacco.The new tax would
funda newsummerorientationprogramforChicagoPublicSchoolsfreshmenandaremedial program
for at-riskeighthgraders.
Tobacco use has steadilydeclinedsince the 1960s, andthismakestobacco taxesan uncertainrevenue
source.SouthSide AldermanPatrickD.Thompson,11thWard, was surelyaware of thiswhenhe asked
the city healthcommissionerhowthe summerprogramscouldcontinue when the annual revenueisn’t
guaranteed.CityHealthCommissionerJulie Moritadidn’thave ananswer.
Chicagocannot continue toraise the alreadyhighest-in-the-nationtobaccotax andexpectto avoid
collateral damage.The sale of loose cigarettes,commonly referredtoas“loosies,”hasaffectedSouth
and Westside neighborhoodsforyears.Duringthe debate,AldermanRoderickSawyer,6thWard, said
he knowsone man whomakes$800 a day sellingloosies.
Morita pointedtostudiestosupportthe city’sclaimsthatraisingthe taxeswouldpreventchildrenfrom
buyingandgettinghookedontobaccoproductsand dismissedaldermen’sconcernsas“anecdotal.”But
WestSide AldermanJasonErvin,28th Ward,shareddailyexperiences,accordingtothe ChicagoTribune.
Ervintoldthe commissionerandCityCouncil,“Iimplore youtowalkdownMadison(Street) withme,…
and youwill see the real consequencesof whatwe’re talkingabout.Thisisnottheoretical.Thisisnot
somethingthatIdreamedup.”Ervinhas beenfighting cigarette-taxincreasesandhasevencalledfor
reducingcigarette taxestobringChicagoinline withIndianabecause he haswitnessedturf warsover
loosies.
Nationally,anincrease inthe tobaccotax has ledtodirectand indirectviolence.In2008, an elderly
couple waskilledinacar crash as a suspectedcigarette smugglerfledpolice.In2010, a Virginiaman
admittedguiltinamurder-for-hire plotinvolvingsmuggledcigarettes.In2014, Eric Garner waskilledby
NewYork Citypolice astheydetainedhimforallegedlysellinguntaxedcigarettes.Hisdeathwasatragic,
unintendedconsequenceof the exorbitanttobaccotaxesinNew YorkCity.

2. Raisingthe tobacco tax has broughtmyriadunintendedconsequences,typicallyinpoorercommunities
alreadyplaguedbyhighcrime.The citycannot fundprogramsto helpat-riskyouthatthe expense of
addedneighborhoodblackmarketsandviolence.Todoso wouldbe counterproductive and
unconscionable.