A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the City Of Alton Finance Department regarding sales tax records on October 25, 2024. The request was made by Metro East Sun, a media organization dedicated to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs.
The records requested under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, include data about sales tax collected from retailers from January 1, 2024, until the present date. Specifically, we at Metro East Sun are seeking information in the following fields:
- Sales tax collected from retailers by month versus projected
- Number of active retail locations paying sales tax by month
- Names of each retailer and gross retail sales reported by each for the month
As a media organization committed to transparency and holding public institutions accountable, we believe that access to these public records is essential for us to fulfill our professional responsibilities. Given our role in disseminating information to the public, we have also requested a fee waiver as a media professional.
We await the response from the City Of Alton Finance Department and will continue our efforts to provide comprehensive news coverage on local governmental affairs.