'Wheel Tax' officially eliminated for vehicle owners in unincorporated Cook County

Vehicle owners living in unincorporated portions of Cook County no longer have to pay the county's long-standing Wheel Tax, officials said Monday.

Created in the 1970s, the tax required a Cook County Vehicle License costing between $80 and $200 for all motor vehicles owned and operated by residents of unincorporated areas.

In a measure sponsored by county Commissioner Kevin Morrison, the county board voted unanimously in September to repeal the tax. The elimination of the tax became effective July 1.

"I am proud of our work to do away with the Wheel Tax and provide some much-needed relief to County residents," Morrison said in a statement Monday.

The county's Bureau of Finance estimates that about 8,000 staff hours dedicated to administering the tax can be redirected to other services. The bureau estimates that the revenue lost from eliminating the tax will be partially offset by savings on administrative costs and new revenues. Revenues from the tax accounted for less than half of a percent of the county's roughly $8.7 billion budget.