Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Tuesday he would neither sign nor veto the $16.6 billion budget passed by the city council over the weekend, which includes a 10.25% tax on city-based sports betting operator revenue that would take effect Jan. 1.
Johnson initially proposed the levy in his budget proposal in October, but the first-term mayor lost control of the budget process when the city council last month refused to agree to his wish for a corporate head tax. The city’s 50 aldermen countered with an “alternative” budget that retained the sports betting tax, which could create logistical headaches for the state’s 10 mobile operators, as the budget ordinance does not have a licensing framework.
