Chicago-area transit agencies are once again warning of budget shortfalls and calling for new revenue. But this debate cannot be separated from a key fact: a regional sales tax increase for transit was already approved this year.
As part of a statewide deal to prevent service cuts at CTA, Metra, and Pace, lawmakers authorized the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) to raise its portion of the sales tax by 0.25 percentage points. In Cook County, that means the RTA sales tax rate will rise from 1.0% to 1.25%, generating an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars annually for transit operations once fully implemented.
Taxpayers were told this increase was necessary to stabilize the system and avoid a so-called “fiscal cliff” as federal pandemic aid expires. That makes accountability non-negotiable.
If Funding Went Up, Riders Deserve Results
When sales taxes increase, riders and taxpayers reasonably expect improvements. Yet many continue to experience:
Unreliable service and long headways
Safety concerns on trains and platforms
Reduced frequency compared to pre-pandemic levels
Rising administrative costs with limited transparency
The core question is simple: What are riders getting for the additional money?
Before any discussion of further tax hikes, fare increases, or new fees, transit agencies owe the public clear answers:
How will the new sales tax revenue be spent?
What performance benchmarks will be used?
What happens if those benchmarks are not met?
Funding Is Not Reform
Support for public transit does not mean support for blank checks.
CTA, Pace, and Metra face long-standing structural problems: fragmented governance, political board appointments, weak oversight, and limited consequences for failure. Increasing revenue without fixing those issues risks repeating the same cycle: more money, the same problems, and declining public trust.
From a libertarian perspective, the issue is not whether transit should exist; it’s whether taxpayers are treated with respect.
Accountability Before Expansion
A responsible approach to transit funding should include:
Independent audits and public reporting
Performance-based funding tied to reliability, safety, and ridership
Administrative cost controls before service cuts or fare hikes
Better coordination between CTA, Metra, and Pace to reduce duplication
Taxpayers have already been asked to contribute more through the sales tax. Asking again without demonstrating real reform is neither sustainable nor fair.
Fix the System First
Chicago-area residents want functional, safe, reliable transit. What they don’t want is an endless cycle of tax increases followed by excuses.
The message should be clear: the money came first, now the results must follow.
Reform before new revenue.
Accountability before expansion.
Service before sales pitches.
