Tiny Taxing District Transparency
by Mark Cavers On Monday, the Chicago Tribune ran a story on the thousands of taxing districts and government bodies that are scattered across Illinois: “Illinois has the most units of government in the nation, and the Tribune acquired and combed through a list of each one — nearly 8,500 by the state comptroller’s count, from well-known...
by Mark Cavers
On Monday, the Chicago Tribune ran a story on the thousands of taxing districts and government bodies that are scattered across Illinois:
“Illinois has the most units of government in the nation, and the Tribune acquired and combed through a list of each one — nearly 8,500 by the state comptroller’s count, from well-known townships to obscure drainage”
With examples like a taxpayer funded board that is charged with caring for 40 streetlights, a library board without a library to oversee, and a $222,000 tuberculosis fund that treats roughly one patient every two or three years it is hard to argue that taxpayers need better access to information on all the different units of government they are paying for.
The Illinois Policy Institute has been working to see transparency brought to each one of these governing bodies through our local transparency project. So far, we’ve brought transparency to the websites of over 100 local government agencies and put over $2 billion in government spending online. But, we have a lot more to do! If you are interested in bringing transparency to your neighborhood please contact Brian Costin at bcostin@Illinoispolicy.org
The Tribune’s report also points to another area that needs transparency: taxes. Because of the existence of numerous different taxing districts it is very difficult for citizens to determine the true cost of government. Researching layer upon layer of taxes and fees means a typical citizen might have to contact ten separate government entities to determine all the different taxes they pay. Citizens deserve information on all the taxes they pay without having to dig through multiple government websites.
As a step towards empowering citizens by providing them with information about all the different taxing districts they are impacted by, the Illinois Policy Institute supports SB0043, introduced by Senator Susan Garret. This legislation, which passed both the House and Senate unanimously and now awaits the Governor’s signature, would require the Department of Revenue to post data for download on all state and local taxes.
If the Governor signs this bill, taxpayers will be able to see all the tax rates imposed by every taxing district and by the State in one central location. The information will be accessible by entering a ZIP code or physical address. Rather than having to contact numerous different units of government, SB0043 will allow taxpayers to go to the Depart of Revenue, or the website of a nonprofit which chooses to host the Department’s data, type in their ZIP code, and see every different taxing district that they are paying into. This is a significant piece of legislation because with this information at their fingertips citizens will be able to calculate the true cost of government and then make an informed decision aboutthe value different government bodies are providing.