CHICAGO (Oct. 28, 2015) – Today, the Chicago City Council will vote on Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposed budget which includes a record property tax hike. Budget and tax experts from the nonpartisan Illinois Policy Institute are available to comment on the vote and what it would mean for the city’s finances and economic future.

The Mayor’s proposed budget includes more than $500 million in higher property taxes for Chicagoans, the majority of which will go to the city’s ailing police and firefighter pension systems. An analysis released this week by the Illinois Policy Institute found that even before the property tax, Chicagoans already pay the highest city bill for taxes and fees in the state.

Highlights from the Illinois Policy Institute’s report on Chicago’s tax burden include:

• Chicagoans pay more in taxes and fees, per person, than residents of any other major city in Illinois.

• Chicagoans currently pay about $1,600 annually in city taxes and fees. This is on top of county, state and federal taxes, and does not include taxes paid to Chicago Public Schools or Chicago Park District.

• The 30-plus taxes that Chicagoans face add up; in 2014, the city collected more than $1,280 per person in various non-property taxes and fees. That’s almost double what Evanston, the second-highest taxing city in Illinois, collected in non-property taxes and fees.

• City residents pay the 10th highest property tax of major U.S. cities.

Illinois Policy Institute’s full report on Chicago’s budget and tax burden is available online here: http://bit.ly/1PPD01b

MEDIA CONTACT: Nathaniel Hamilton or Diana Rickert (312) 607-4977