The federal government is threatening to withhold $87 million in food stamp funds from the state of Illinois because Cook County is taxing food stamp purchasers the penny an ounce tax when they buy pop. Cook County has high hopes of reaping $60 million on the soda tax. Gain 60, lose 87. That is called Illinois government mathematics.
Did anyone tell the Cook County Board, which passed the tax, that they can't tax food stamp benefits? Yes, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association had that fact in the lawsuit against the tax, which of course they lost.