A new report analyzes the effects of “tax increment financing” on communities across the nation – and calls into question the merits of the widely used development tool.
“My parents came [to the United States] in 1969. I grew up in the Chicago area. “When Cynthia and I got engaged, we started home searching. We wanted a place ready to go. “I knew nothing about [the cost of] homeownership until I started to home search. I was looking in Oak Lawn, Oak Forest,...
At least one lawmaker is attempting to avoid responsibility for one of the most important policy issues in the state.
One wonders how many times an unpopular idea must be knocked down before it rises back from the dead. Especially when it means more money for the state. And especially in Illinois.
Poor public policy and inefficient government mean Illinois will struggle to provide relief for residents in need during the next downturn.
A proposed 1 percent sales tax for school facilities improvements would bring the city of Springfield’s combined sales tax rate to 9.75 percent – among the highest in the nation.
Taxpayers across Illinois oppose a progressive tax but many state lawmakers still refuse to stand up against House Speaker Mike Madigan’s progressive tax push.
Chicago will no longer be exempted from a state law barring Illinois municipalities from imposing ticket quotas on local police departments.
Illinoisans already get hosed at the pump, but politicians are looking for new ways to soak drivers.
A ballot question asking voters whether to eliminate Capital Township could bring savings to Springfield taxpayers – but that would just be one of many steps worth taking to lower Springfield’s high property taxes.
New IRS rules make clear that lowering the actual tax burden, not complicated workarounds, is the correct way to respond to tighter federal restrictions on SALT deductions.
Dictating teachers’ salaries from Springfield would impose a costly mandate on local school districts and expose struggling homeowners across the state to property tax hikes.
“I first came here in 1989. I moved for four years out to North Carolina and then came back. I was excited about moving back because my grandbaby was being born. “I thought I’d just retire here. Then all the taxes came. “We’re going to move out by the spring. “My land taxes doubled from...
Despite claims from some state lawmakers that the fiscal year 2019 budget is balanced, official reports to bond buyers admit a deficit of more than $1 billion.