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Chicago Proposes Concert Tax Hike
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed a 2018 budget plan to the city council Oct. 18 that would increase Chicago’s amusement tax along with a hike in fees for Uber and the city’s monthly 911 phone tax.
The Windy City has one of the highest ticket taxes in the U.S. for sporting events at 12 percent, according to a statement by the Chicago sporting teams including the Bears, Bulls and White Sox. The proposed tax hike would be for concerts, currently at 6.5 percent, according to a statement and would be hiked to 10.5 percent.
– Rahm Emanuel“By driving this tax to one of the highest in the country, Chicago will lose concerts,” the statement said. “As the shows leave, so do the dollars that flow through restaurants, cabs, and hotels on any given show night.”
The current amusement tax includes a 5 percent charge to performances at venues with more than 750 seats, according to CBS-TV. The proposal would exempt venues at 1,500 capacity or less, and the rate would climb from 5 percent to 9 percent at larger venues. Along with Uber hikes and the 911 charges, the tax would eliminate a $288 million budget shortfall and the amusement tax would bring in $16 million in new revenue, according to budget documents.
About 30 venues would be newly exempt, according to the Chicago Tribume, including
Jam Productions’ Jerry Mickelson declined to comment considering the proposal was “just proposed today.”