Those shopping Du Quoin's south end will be paying a half-cent more sales tax Jan. 1
Anyone shopping from Franklin Street south in Du Quoin will be paying a half-cent more on sales tax beginning Jan. 1, 2014.
Mr. Gene Norber of EDR & Associates, the city's business district consulting firm, largely spoke to an empty room about the establishment and implementation of a Du Quoin Business District at Monday night's 6 p.m. hearing at city hall.
During the eight-minute hearing there was only one question: Does the higher tax apply to fast food restaurants? The answer is yes.
There is no sales tax on groceries or medicine.
The half-cent sales tax increase on every dollar spent will be collected by the Illinois Department of Revenue, then sent back to the City of Du Quoin for redevelopment of businesses that need it on the city's south side. It can be in the form of direct grants, incentives to fill empty buildings or monies for remodeling.
It could provide assistance to someone interested in the Kroger building in the Southtowne Shopping Center, the bowling alley, the Perfection Club restaurant or Dairy Queen.
It could assist businesses like Chip Banks Chevrolet with future GM franchise related remodeling.
It could assist a business looking at the Southern Illinois Petrol building that in recent years housed Heartland Ford and now houses a company called Belttech, Inc. which is building a new building in the Du Quoin Industrial Park.
The tax hike will largely go unnoticed as shoppers--many from out of town who shop at places like WalMart--write out their checks and swipe their debit and credit cards.
It is odd only in that shoppers in places like downtown Du Quoin will still be paying and 8.25 percent sales tax while shoppers on the south end will be paying an 8.75 percent sales tax.
Businesses affected will need to contact their home offices or their cash register software provider, the Illinois Department of Revenue the city or your accountant as needed for information on how to go about the change effective Jan. 1.