Elgin city tax hike

The Elgin City Council plans to vote tonight on a new budget that increases taxes and adds new fees. The Council has chosen to pursue new revenue sources to fill a $4.5 million deficit, rather than run a more efficient government. This strategy of higher taxes only compounds the problems that average Illinoisans and residents of Elgin...

The Elgin City Council plans to vote tonight on a new budget that increases taxes and adds new fees. The Council has chosen to pursue new revenue sources to fill a $4.5 million deficit, rather than run a more efficient government.

This strategy of higher taxes only compounds the problems that average Illinoisans and residents of Elgin already face. Earlier this year, Illinois raised its income taxes by a record 67 percent, meaning that the average household faces $1,500 dollars in additional taxes this year alone. And last month, Cook County approved higher taxes for alcohol and other items. Add to that higher commuting fees for Metra and highway toll users, and it’s no wonder that Illinoisans feel overtaxed.

The new budget would increase the city sales tax from .75% to 1.25%, bringing the total sales tax levels to 8.25% for residents of Kane County and 9.75% for those in Cook County.  Residents would also face an increase in alcohol taxes, which would hurt businesses, restaurants and employees that rely on alcohol sales. Even more, anyone purchasing alcohol in the Cook County part of Elgin would get hit with a double whammy, given the recent Cook County increases.

Elgin has chosen to close its deficit by hitting its residents with more taxes. The Council may want to reconsider when they see the effect of bad policies on where people choose to live. Illinois has lost over 800,000 people to other states over the past 15 years, and higher taxes have definitely impacted peoples’ decisions. Bad policies in Illinois have led 1 person to leave the state every 10 minutes since 1995.

Elgin may want to think again.