Illinois group spends $700K in tax dollars to lobby for higher taxes
Illinois group spends $700K in tax dollars to lobby for higher taxes
Local-government lobbying groups are using residents’ money to lobby for higher income taxes.
The buck stops here: Toss Madigan’s illegal budget
The buck stops here: Toss Madigan’s illegal budget
If Madigan wants borrowing, tax hikes or some combination of the two, he should present his wish list to Illinois taxpayers.
Illinois’ property taxes are out of control, let taxpayers take driver’s seat
Illinois’ property taxes are out of control, let taxpayers take driver’s seat
Piecemeal fixes to the state’s property-tax problem have failed. It’s time to give the purse strings back to average Illinoisans.
Auditor general: Illinois Department of Corrections workers abusing overtime
Auditor general: Illinois Department of Corrections workers abusing overtime
IDOC employees were paid for over a million hours of overtime in 2014.
The Chicago penalty
The Chicago penalty
Chicago paid a premium on its recent bond offerings. Why? Default risk.
Yield on Chicago Public Schools bond offering hits 5.63%, bankruptcy the sensible option
Yield on Chicago Public Schools bond offering hits 5.63%, bankruptcy the sensible option
Where is the school district going to get $1.1 billion? The state? Think again.
Sauk Valley taxpayers could come out ahead on revenue-sharing reform
Sauk Valley taxpayers could come out ahead on revenue-sharing reform
Income-tax revenue represents just one-sixth of the $6.1 billion the state gives to local governments every year. Proposed reforms would leave untouched the vast majority of that money.
DeKalb County taxpayers may find relief with revenue-sharing reform
DeKalb County taxpayers may find relief with revenue-sharing reform
If taxpayers can get a bigger bang for their buck, they should get it.
On revenue-sharing reform, McHenry County taxpayers win for a change
On revenue-sharing reform, McHenry County taxpayers win for a change
Local governments must pare their budgets, forcing them to identify best practices they should have found already.
Tax season isn’t over: Illinoisans will work 120 days to pay for government in 2015
Tax season isn’t over: Illinoisans will work 120 days to pay for government in 2015
Illinois taxpayers celebrate Tax Freedom Day nearly two weeks after their peers in neighboring states.
ObamaCare brings another unwelcome Tax Day surprise for Illinoisans
ObamaCare brings another unwelcome Tax Day surprise for Illinoisans
How an SEIU contract sticks Illinois taxpayers with the costs of rising premiums under ObamaCare.
Illinois’ middle class shrinking as property taxes shoot to record levels
Illinois’ middle class shrinking as property taxes shoot to record levels
Illinois stands out in the Midwest for unaffordable housing – 34 percent of Illinois households spend more than 30 cents per dollar of income on housing, more than any other state in the region.
Pew study blows hole in myth that Illinois has a revenue problem
Pew study blows hole in myth that Illinois has a revenue problem
Tax revenues in Illinois are up 22.5 percent over pre-recession highs, while 30 other states are collecting less tax revenue today than they were before the recession began.
The shockingly bad fiscal health of Chicago (and the financial engineering used to hide it)
The shockingly bad fiscal health of Chicago (and the financial engineering used to hide it)
State lawmakers and the city of Chicago owe taxpayers an honest assessment. It's a sad state of affairs when we have to get that assessment from a bond guru in Kentucky.