Even subtracting COVID-19 deaths, Illinois still suffered its largest population drop in modern history in the first year of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s fiscal policies, including 20 new tax and fee hikes, as well as his pandemic response.
COVID-19 showed everyone the heroes in health care and essential services, but it also exposed weak character or bad behavior of many in Illinois government.
Illinois homeowners pay double the national average on their property tax bills.
Sales taxes can exceed 10% in Illinois depending on where consumers do their holiday shopping. The average has been creeping up in recent years.
Illinois’ jobs numbers have slipped for the second time in the past three months as the rest of the nation steadily recovers.
Illinois’ current budget started out at a deficit, hoped for a tax increase that was rejected and counted on a federal bail-out that never came. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s best fix is pension reform.
New official reporting from the state of Illinois shows both rising debt and rising costs in state retirement systems, with essential government services again facing cuts.
New unemployment claims are rising in Illinois, hitting 142,745 last week as COVID-19 restrictions continue.