the wasserblawg

Kudos to fellow lawyer / blogger Peter Olson for uncovering this nugget. He hit a home run on this one. I have been cry-giggling about it since I read his post last night Real Estate in Chicago: Chicago " CTA Portion" Transfer Tax Refund? Yes, yes. City Transfer Tax increased effective April 1. Yes, yes, the City Council made a last minute switch so that Sellers are paying the increase, not buyers. Yes, yes, the revised tax declaration form may be the worst, most confused tax form ever. Yes, yes, in the short term many Buyers will be forced to pay the seller's share of the tax based on the contract language they agreed to months ago, before anyone ever considered the increase or the fee shift. The absurdest cherry on top turns out to be the " CTA Portion Refund." Recall that refund, was proposed and passed as part of the original ordinance, in February, 2008, when the entire transfer tax was going to be borne by Purchasers. At that it made good political