(The Center Square) – Another attempt is being made to legalize certain fireworks and tax them in Illinois.
The Ground-Based Sparkler Purchaser Excise Tax Act would impose a 6% tax on consumers purchasing ground-based sparklers or fountains for personal use, beginning July 1, 2025.
The measure says retailers must register with the Department of Revenue, collect the tax, and remit it to the state, with a portion benefiting firefighter pension funds.
American Pyrotechnics Association Executive Director Julie Heckman said this tax is basically trying to help the state fund various programs that benefit firefighters.
“I don’t know that it’s a benefit to the [firework] industry. I mean, obviously, it’s one more thing that they’re responsible for doing. But it probably is also an incentive to be able to keep the sale of sparklers legal in the state,” said Heckman.
Heckman said if the sale of sparklers generates revenue, then state legislators are less likely to ban ground sparklers, or fountains. Heckman said that the additional tax has to be separate from whatever a general sales tax is.
“So if it’s 6%, 6% of those sales will, then that tax will go to the Department of Revenue,” said Heckman.
House Bill 2851, which is in the Sales Tax Subcommittee, also says sparklers cannot be sold to anyone under 18.
APA anticipates HB 2851, if enacted, will help the state determine the volume of fireworks actually being sold in the state. Heckman said APA is pretty good at estimating national sales, but when it comes down to state-specific, it’s very hard to find that information because every state collects the information differently.
“When they see what that 6% brings in, they’re going to have a pretty good idea of how many sparklers are being sold in the state,” said Heckman.
Special taxes have been put on sparklers and consumer fireworks in various states, like Indiana and West Virginia, Heckman said.
“That money will be used to help fund special programs like firefighter education or emergency responders. It looks like in Illinois the money is going to go towards the firemen’s annuity and benefit fund and the firefighter’s pension investment fund,” said Heckman.
According to the Illinois Public Pension Fund Association, as of 2023, unfunded liabilities for Illinois’ downstate police and fire pension plans totaled approximately $12 billion.
Opponents of legalizing ground based sparklers say they are not safe and could cause severe injury or death.
