More Taxes for Chicago?

There’s a new chapter in the Chicago tax saga. As if the Chicago sales tax were not high enough already, now online buyers of tickets to city events might face an amusement tax as well. From the Chicago Tribune:

Buyers who purchase tickets to Chicago sporting and cultural events online through eBay and StubHub could end up paying an extra 8 percent tax if a lawsuit filed Monday by the city is successful.

The city argues in the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court that the two firms—eBay bought StubHub last year—are “reseller’s agents” and are therefore required under Chicago’s ordinance to pay an amusement tax. The lawsuit seeks a court order allowing the city to audit the companies and award fines for failing to collect and pay the tax.

Both companies say they will fight the lawsuit.

“We do not believe that the City’s Amusement Tax applies to either eBay’s or StubHub’s business models nor do we believe that the Amusement Tax can properly be assessed here,” said an identical statement issued by spokesmen for both companies. “We intend to fight this litigation vigorously.”

More on the Chicago sales tax rate here, here, here, and here.