CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago-area transportation agency accuses some of the nation's largest and best-known companies of running "sham" offices in two small northern Illinois communities to avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes in Chicago and Cook County.
The Regional Transportation Agency on Wednesday released the names of companies or their subsidiaries that it contends have Kankakee and Channahon offices where it says little if any work is done. The list includes AT&T, Sears Holdings Corp., Verizon and Target.
The RTA says it obtained the names after filing Freedom of Information Act requests.
AT&T, Sears Holdings and Verizon say they've done nothing wrong and are following Illinois tax laws. Target says it closed its Kankakee office in October 2010.
Kankakee and Channahon also deny any wrongdoing. The RTA has sued the communities.
