House Bill 433 would make it easier for Illinois taxpayers to dissolve unnecessary units of government in the state with the nation’s highest number of government units.
The nation’s second-highest property taxes could come down if Illinois cut school bureaucracy and reformed public pensions. Until they do, fixing the housing stock is a tough sell.
Cook County property taxes have grown at triple the rate of the cost of living. The “fair tax” backers promise it will bring property tax relief, but the evidence refutes their claim.
Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.