Some Chicago aldermen are expressing skepticism about one of the signature elements in Mayor Brandon Johnson's budget plan for next year: a tax on social media companies.
The mayor's so-called "SMART" tax would collect $0.50 for every user over 100,000 users in Chicago from Meta, X, Tiktok, and every other social media platform owner.
Representatives for social media companies have sharply criticized the proposal, which would be part of the city's amusement tax ordinances, and are promising a legal fight if it's approved.
During hearings at City Hall yesterday, Mayor Johnson's budget director Annette Guzman fielded questions from several aldermen about the tax, including Anthony Beale from Pullman.
"Anybody else collecting it?" asked Beale (9th Ward).
"It's the first in the nation," Guzman responded, "and I think this shows that Chicago, as always, is a leader."
Little Village alderman Michael Rodriguez (22nd Ward) followed up: "Who exactly feels confident that we're able to implement this?"
"The Department of Law," Guzman responded. "We have received analysis from the Department of Law related to our position on this tax."
The city estimates the tax will bring in $31 million, which will help bankroll mental health programs.
You can expect aldermen to ask the city's lawyers about the proposed tax when the Law Department comes up for budget hearings next month.