MidAmerica St. Louis Airport has been a drain on taxpayers since it opened in 1995, requiring money from other county funds to keep it open. That total jumped last year to $14.83 million, bringing total subsidies since 2002 to $160 million.
As the Chicago Bears get ready for Monday Night Football, fans have heard talk about Arlington Heights since 2021. Here are the three biggest questions surrounding the move.
Accounting standards call for annual spending reports within 180 days of the year’s end. Illinois took 774 days to produce its 2023 report, setting a national record for tardiness.
AAA named Chicago a top domestic travel spot for Labor Day. It also said Illinois has some of the nation’s highest gas prices. Thank Illinois taxes for the extra dings at the pump.
When a Cook County business successfully appeals their property taxes, the county just shifts that burden to homeowners. This meant an extra $2 billion in residential property taxes instead of a lower property tax levy.
Tax increment financing districts divert public property tax dollars with little oversight, letting cities keep special taxing powers for decades, often misusing funds and shortchanging taxpayers.
Across Illinois, homeowners are losing their homes and all their equity over minor tax debts, with private investors reaping the profits. Illinois is one of the remaining states hasn’t reformed this unconstitutional practice.
A new ranking of the best states to live in puts Illinois at No. 17. It could have scored much better, but the state economy ranked near the bottom of the nation. Quality of life ranked near the top.
A $1.12 billion budget gap spurs Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to circulate a menu of 26 tax hikes. Instead of making Chicago even more hostile to taxpayers, he should be looking at budget reforms and ways to stop spending so much.
As food costs soar, Mayor Brandon Johnson wants to keep hurting Chicago’s working families with a grocery tax. He faces a $1.12 billion deficit that a $73 million grocery tax won’t budge.
As Chicago faces a major deficit for fiscal year 2026, Mayor Brandon Johnson is considering resurrecting a failed idea that punishes job creation: the corporate head tax.
Chicago’s high commercial property taxes hurt both businesses and homeowners. The result is less business, fewer jobs and growing inequality across communities.
The Illinois Senate attempted to pass a “rescue package” for Chicago area mass transit that would punish suburban homeowners with a new real estate transfer tax. State leaders must instead focus on reforms to boost housing and economic growth.
Despite record revenues, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 2026 budget hikes taxes by another $482 million. Illinoisans are paying 44% more than six years ago and getting higher tax burdens as thanks.