Alderman Wants To Tax Bottled Water

I saw this story o actually the video in the news feeds at The Capitol Fax Blog.

You know I'm a big drinker of tap water. I can't stand those people who might insist bottled water was better than tap. Especially if we know now that at least Aquafina water was really tap water.

Bottled water is good when you just know you're not going to find a water fountain anytime soon, but I wonder if this tax is a good idea. The new Chicago city council is getting creative with their revenue generating ideas.

Cooling off with bottled water could soon cost you more within the Chicago city limits if one alderman has his way.

As CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports, Ald. George Cardenas (12th) wants to slap a tax of up to 25 cents on the cost of every bottle to help close a $217 million budget gap.

“People enjoy jogging or driving with a bottle of water. There’s a cost associated with this behavior. You have to pay for it,” said Cardenas, one of Mayor Richard M. Daley’s staunchest City Council supporters.

Cardenas noted that there’s a nearly $40 million shortfall in the city’s water and sewer funds, in part because of a decline in water usage.

“How is this possible when we have a water system that’s won honors? It’s because bottled water has become a $15 billion industry that’s growing at a rate of 20 to 30 percent a year,” he said.

Cardenas also said a bottled water tax would help the environment by dissuading people from buying the plastic bottles that end up in landfills.

But Chicagoans CBS 2 met on the street early Tuesday did not like the idea of the tax.

"Let them tax cigarettes, not water," said Chicago resident Brian Lynch.

"Ten to 20, that's crazy. It's not cigarettes or anything, it's bottled water, so that's ridiculous," added Chicago resident Lazzerick Young. "I'd probably go towards filtered water, maybe, and not do the bottled water."

"We're going to have to vote him out, because that's not good," said Justina Miles. "I buy a lot of bottled water."

"So raise the taxes on pop. Why would you want to raise it on something that's healthy?" said Dennis Hopkins. "You can give a newborn baby bottled water. It's good for you."

Earlier this summer Ald. Ed Burke proposed a congestion tax effective for Chicago's Loop/downtown area.