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Dry January savings: Illinois wine taxes 4x higher than New York, California

By Dylan Sharkey
01/15/2024
Illinois’ excise tax on wine is more than 4 times higher than the same bottle in New York or California. Buying in Chicago adds extra tax layers, hitting 6 times the taxes of other big cities.

TAGS: alcohol tax, Chicago, sin taxes

Springfield’s ‘bad Santas’ can’t kick sin tax habit

By Dylan Sharkey
12/07/2022
Bad habits are tough to break, and Illinois lawmakers can’t ditch their habit of depending on sin taxes to raise revenue.

TAGS: sin taxes

Springfield’s Bad Santas can’t break their sin tax habits

By Dylan Sharkey
12/13/2021
Taxing people’s bad habits is a tough way to raise reliable revenue, but Illinois keeps trying to do just that.

TAGS: Illinois, sin taxes

Illinois’ sobering ‘sin taxes’ are among the nation’s highest this New Year’s

12/23/2020
Excise taxes have failed to improve Illinoisans’ health while creating an undue burden for those with the least. But lawmakers have yet to kick the habit.

TAGS: alcohol tax, cigarette tax, gas tax, sin taxes

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Center for Poverty Solutions / Research Report

Beyond degrees: Empowering Illinoisans through career-first education


Published June 3, 2025 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The best path to empowerment and success, especially for poor people, is work. Work allows us to prosper while providing dignity, upward mobility, the means to support ourselves and create value for others. It’s how we become thriving members of our community. Central to this process is our education...

View Report

Report Archive

Budget + Tax / Your Story

Allan Luzbetak

Labor / Policy Point

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014
Illinois Policy In the News

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016

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