The Chicago Tribune reports Nick Karavites, a McDonald's franchisee who owns and operates 22 McDonalds in the Chicago area, is offering refunds after mistakenly charging customers the Cook County soda tax, despite a judge's order placing the new penny-per-ounce surcharge on hold. Karavites and McDonald's reportedly did not disclose how many restaurants charged the tax, how many customers were affected or when the issue was resolved. Cook County Judge Daniel Kubasiak issued a ruling to temporarily halt the Cook County penny-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages. The tax was set to go into effect on July 1. The injunction will remain in effect until July 12, during which time, operators and distributors doing business in Cook County will not be required to comply with Cook County Sweetened Beverage Tax Ordinance.
