Proposal would tax athletic shoes 25 cents - WGEM.com: Quincy News, Weather, Sports, and Radio

Proposal would tax athletic shoes 25 cents

Posted:

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- New athletic shoes could cost 25 cents more in Illinois.

State Rep. Will Davis from the Chicago suburb of Hazel Crest wants the new tax to pay for a youth job preparation program. Lee Enterprises newspapers reports (http://bit.ly/Yx3ok0 ) the Democratic lawmaker wants to raise about $3 million and most consumers wouldn't notice it. The 25 cents per pair of athletic shoes would go to the state's YouthBuild programs.

Davis says he sees it "as a uniquely creative way of helping youth."

There is opposition to the plan. The Illinois Retail Merchants Association says it will fight the proposal because it creates paperwork for store owners.

------

The legislation is House Bill 978.

Powered by WorldNow
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WGEM. All Rights Reserved.
For more information on this site, please read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Persons with disabilities who need assistance with issues relating to the content of this station's public inspection file should contact Administrative Assistant Donna Vancil at 217-228-6617. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, at 888-835-5322 (TTY) or at fccinfo@fcc.gov.