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.
Illinois just ranked as having the highest property tax rate in the country. Property taxes in Illinois are an especially heavy burden without the tradeoff seen in states such as Texas or New Hampshire, where there are either no sales taxes or income taxes.
In another short-term revenue move, Illinois lawmakers July 1 turned to vape and other nicotine product tax hikes to allow ever-more spending. Taxes on vape products went from 15% to 45% of the wholesale cost.
While Illinois families face one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates, the nation’s highest property taxes and the highest state and local tax burden, state lawmakers just gave themselves another raise. They get $128,000 for 70 days of work.
Illinoisans paid the highest state and local taxes for wireless cell phone services in the nation in 2024 – $136 per family more than the average. An increase in Illinois’ telecommunication tax July 1 just made them even higher.