July 01, 2010
The sales tax rate on general merchandise in Cook County declines by 0.5 percentage point on July 1, 2010. This rolls back half of the 1.0 percentage point increase imposed by the Cook County Board of Commissioners effective July 1, 2008.
For two years Chicago has had the highest sales tax of any major city in the United States. The partial roll back of the Cook County sales tax increase will bring Chicago back down from 10.25% to 9.75%, on par with Los Angeles.
The Illinois Department of Revenue’s sales tax rate change summary lists the new rates for many locations. In some areas of Cook County the sales tax rate will still be over 10%. For example, in parts of the Village of Bellwood the rate falls from 11.50% to 11.00% on July 1. The Department of Revenue’s Tax Rate Finder allows users to search for tax rates by location.
For a history and explanation of sales taxes and other consumer taxes see the Civic Federation’s Selected Consumer Taxes report.