On November 17th, 2016, the Cook County Board approved a new beverage tax that will go into effect July 1st, 2017. The tax will affect all 5.2 million residents of Cook County, the largest jurisdiction to pass a soda tax thus far. This penny-an-ounce tax is collected on bottle, cans, and fountain drinks that are sweetened, such as soda, ice tea, lemonade, and sports drinks. The tax will also be on diet colas and other drinks containing artificial sweeteners, but will exclude milk and medically necessary drinks.
If you are located in Cook County and sell any beverages that fall into those categories, make sure your POS systems are updated so that you will correctly begin collecting the tax from your customers when the tax goes into effect.
If you have any questions on this, please contact Kelly Switt or Ashley Trabaris in Porte Brown's Compliance Department.
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