If you can't do simple math, maybe you shouldn't be on the budget committee...

Does no one know how to do simple math? Saying that going from a 9% tax to an 11% tax is a 2% raise is completely wrong. It's a 22% raise. It's a 2 point raise in the rate, but it's raising the taxes by 22%. You can't just subtract percentages; they're multiplicative not additive.

Cook County sales tax increase proposed
ABC News

One Cook County commissioner wants to increase the county's portion of the sales tax, and if approved, the sales tax would to up to 11 percent. That tax increase would also apply to restaurant and hotel bills.

Cook County Commissioner Joan Patricia Murphy said the additional tax revenue would be used to avoid another crisis when it is time to come up with next year's budget.

It appears everything is on the table as Cook County commissioners prepare for next year's budget. The last time they called for a sales tax increase was 1992. Some commissioners say it is time to get help. But retailers are saying, look elsewhere.

It looks like the board of county commissioners has had enough job cuts throughout the county, including their own staff. They're looking at a gap in the 2008 budget.