Property-tax hikes have caused taxes on NBA star Dwyane Wade’s former house to more than triple, driving away prospective buyers and showing the harm Illinois’ sky-high property-tax rates inflict on homeowners.
Illinois lawmakers earn base salaries of nearly $68,000 for what is essentially part-time work.
The Illinois comptroller warns Illinois' backlog of unpaid bills will reach $10 billion by December.
A referendum allowing Madison County taxpayers to decide if they want to limit their tax burden is a choice all Illinoisans should have.
A new Chicago financial report shows the city’s total unfunded liabilities have jumped by over $17 billion, growing to nearly $24 billion in 2015 from $6.5 billion in 2014.
More scrutiny from property owners means more money in the pockets of certain members of Illinois’ political elite, including House Speaker Mike Madigan.
A taxpayer bill of rights would put checks on politicians eager to hike taxes in one of the nation’s most over-taxed cities.
The stopgap budget passed by the General Assembly provides six months worth of funding for government services such as road construction, as well as a full K-12 education budget for the 2016-2017 school year, property-tax-raising authority for Chicago, and more state funding of pensions for Chicago Public Schools teachers.
The stopgap budget compromise reached between the General Assembly and Gov. Bruce Rauner will fund government operations for the next six months and ensure that schools open on time in the fall.
Illinoisans face the highest median property-tax rate in the nation.
Until CPS passes necessary spending and pension reforms, giving any additional money to the system will only reward officials’ mismanagement and reckless behavior.
Budget gridlock in Springfield caused the Illinois secretary of state’s office to suspend mailing vehicle-registration-renewal reminders in October 2015; as a result, the state took in $5.24 million more in fees for late license-plate renewal between January and June 21, 2016, than it did during the same period in 2015.
Tax-hike proponents claim there’s no way to fix Illinois’ chronic budget problems without more money. They want Illinoisans to believe the state’s tax revenues simply aren’t enough to cover the cost of government. But tax revenues aren’t the real problem. Illinois’ perennial budget crises stem from the state’s persistent overspending and misplaced spending priorities. The...
Pension funds aren’t immune to the volatility of the stock market. Even before Brexit, Moody’s warned that low investment returns are already putting Chicago’s pension funds at risk. A major stock market correction or another recession just might put Chicago and CPS over the edge if their already-underfunded pension systems collapse.