An Illinois court has shot down a retail industry bid to stop enforcement of a penny-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages in Chicago and the surrounding area, which is set to go into effect Wednesday.

On Friday, Cook County Circuit Judge Daniel Kubasiak dismissed a lawsuit bought by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association against the county's "soda tax," the Chicago Tribune reported. Cook County encompasses Chicago and the surrounding area.

Cook County is one of several local governments that have enacted soda taxes in recent years as a way to battle obesity and generate new revenue. Most retailers opposed the taxes, as does the American Beverage Association, which has been campaigning to repeal the Cook County tax and has fought similar proposals in other communities.

Cook County had expected the tax to generate $67.5 million in tax revenue this year and more than $200 million next year, the Tribune reported.

The Illinois Retail Merchants Association told the newspaper it was weighing its legal options and had not decided whether appeal the court's decision. http://trib.in/2tX1we0

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