Kane County Reporter

Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-St. Charles) is concerned about the return of the state grocery tax at a time when many residents continue to struggle with finances. He included a link to an NBC5 story about the end of the tax break.

"Last year, on July 1st, Illinois' 1% grocery tax was suspended, aimed at providing relief to families struggling with rising costs of goods and inflation," Ugaste posted on Facebook on June 29. "The tax break will expire July 1st of this year. And while Republicans filed many bills this year to permanently lower taxes, none were even allowed a vote in committee."

in 2022, the grocery tax was suspended as part of the state's $46.5 billion spending plan with a goal of providing relief to families struggling with rising costs of goods and inflation with estimates placing overall savings for taxpayers in the neighborhood of $400 through the fiscal year.

The current suspension applies to "food for human consumption that is to be consumed off the premises where it is sold," including bakery and deli items, cheese and fruit trays, prepackaged snacks and baby formula, while products that are not part of the plan include alcoholic beverages, food with adult-use cannabis, soft drinks, candy and food and drugs and medication.

The start of the new fiscal year also brings a hike to the city of Chicago's minimum wage with the hourly rate set to increase from $15.40 to $15.80 for employers with 21 or more employees and from $14.50 to $15 for employers with four to 20 employees. At the same time, the hourly minimum wage for tipped employees will increase from $9.24 to $9.48 for employees of large businesses, while tipped employees of smaller businesses will see their minimum wage increase from $8.70 to $9.

In suburban Cook County, similar increases are also set to go into effect, with the hourly minimum wage set to increase from $13.35 to $13.70 for non-tipped employees and $7.40 to $8 for tipped employees.