Freeport, Machesney Park vote in favor of keeping 1% grocery tax

(WTVO) — Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law eliminating the grocery tax in Illinois, leaving it up to local municipalities to choose to continue it after January 1st, 2026.

On Monday, both the Freeport City Council and the Machesney Park Village Board voted in favor of keeping the tax in place.

Freeport estimates it earns $800,000 a year from the tax.

Earlier this month, the Belvidere City Council unanimously voted to

drop the 1% grocery tax in 2026, while the Rockford City Council voted to keep it.

In Rockford, the grocery tax brings in nearly $9 million in tax revenue a year.