On average, Illinois schools spend $13,077 per student.

Local governments create TIF districts to encourage development in “blighted” areas; but TIFs often don’t deliver on promised economic benefits, while they do divert tax dollars from other uses and create opaque slush funds for the mayor to reward insider developers.

The governor should reject tax hikes and push for the structural spending reforms Illinois needs to fix its fiscal crisis and improve its economy.

Despite taxing both sales and income, Illinois has higher property taxes than every single state that does not charge an income tax.

A new report from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability shows Illinois has experienced falling tax collections, which may indicate trouble in the state economy; spending reforms – not tax hikes – are what Illinois needs to right its fiscal ship and boost economic growth.

Illinois has by far the most units of government in the nation, at nearly 7,000.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is spending money promised for rebates on police body cameras, a legal defense fund for undocumented immigrants and other programs.

As lawmakers consider massive tax hikes on Illinoisans, they should look to consolidate nearly 7,000 units of local government and to cut their high administrative costs.