Cook County Looks Into Lollapalooza Tax Exemption

If you read Sloopin, you know that we love Lollapalooza. Regardless of our love affair, that doesn't mean that we turn a blind eye towards its operations. A reader recently sent us a link to a post by WBEZ blog, Pop N Stuff, examining some issues with the tax exemption the annual festival receives:

If the city won’t reexamine the boondoggle of a tax break that the Daley administration gave Lollapalooza, even in the midst of an epic budget crisis, the county will.

Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer says she has heard from many of her North Side constituents complaining about the negative impact on their businesses caused by Lollapalooza, and its tax break adds insult to injury. “No tax is paid or reported,” she says. “It’s absurd.”

Gainer goes onto say in the article:

“This wasn’t the way this [the Lollapalooza deal] was supposed to go down,” Gainer says. Initially, it was considered a break to bring a speculative venture to Chicago. But Lollapalooza now has proven to be very successful and hardly in need of a benefit that no other major entertainment event is granted.

"If you don't need that kind of support to survive, it should be given to someone else... some other cultural event," Gainer says. She and her fellow board members approached the state's attorney about how best to rectify the situation, and Anita Alvarez's office recommended bringing the annual review of the Lollapalooza tax abatement under board control.

Definitely agree that they should take a look at this deal and see if it's necessary.

Regardless, whether or not you're interested in the article/controvery, it gives us a chance to re-post a clip from last years lollapalooza of a band trying to learn how to play in front of a big crowd:

(Hat tip: JA!)

(Image from WBEZ)