Eye On Illinois: Plenty of ways to spin school supply sales tax holiday totals

Numbers tell a story, but rarely without help.In August, Capitol News Illinois reported that a 10-day reduction of state sales tax on certain school supplies would carry a $10 million price tag. On Tuesday, Gov. JB Pritzker’s office announced the actual total was $11.4 million.If you’re the governor, it’s a well-timed chance to use the headline “Pritzker Provides $11.4 Million in Savings.” Considering the state budget side, that means seeking another $1.4 million to cover spending priorities before the fiscal year ends in June. My mother would point out that shoppers spent $229.3 million to “save” $11.4 million, and real savings come from not buying anything.Absent from the release are details about where the shopping happened, other than citing “2,284 retailers participated” as if the program were voluntary. Geography matters here because the 10-day period directly followed a quarter-point sales tax increase in Cook, Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Kane and Will counties to raise money for the