MOLINE, Illinois- Hungry Hobo has been serving sandwiches and loaded potatoes in the Illinois Quad Cities for more than 40 years, but right now, the future for the company lies in Iowa.
"Our last three new store openings have been on the Iowa side of the river, and we're only almost exclusively looking in Iowa because of the better business climate in the state," said Hungry Hobo owner Pryce Boeye.
The last thing his company needs, he says, is another sales tax hike for his stores in Rock Island County.
Voters will decide on two different sales tax hikes on the November ballot. A half-cent hike for the county, and a one percent hike for area schools.
"Especially in the cities of Rock Island and Moline where our customers are already paying a 9 percent prepared food and beverage sales tax, if these two initiatives were to pass, it would raise to 10.5 percent, which is kind of like Cook County taxes in Western Illinois," Boeye said.
"We're already dealing with higher minimum wage, unemployment and workers compensation insurance costs on the Illinois side of the river. It's frustrating," he said.
Iowa's sales tax rate stands at 7 percent, which includes a one cent sales tax for schools.
Boeye says he still lives in Illinois, and wants the state, schools, and county to grow and succeed. But he believes, business is already paying more than its fair share.
"You're going to lose the tax base,"he said. "The question is, are they doing all they can to control their costs?"