Pension crisis forces firehouse closure, 9 firefighter layoffs in East St. Louis

By Brad Weisenstein

10/16/2019

East St. Louis is short $9.5 million between a budget deficit and back payments owed to its fire and police pensions. As a result, city leaders are closing a firehouse and laying off nine firefighters.

TAGS: East St. Louis, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, property taxes, taxes

Plan for over 640 police, fire pensions barely touches Illinois’ $200B problem

By Adam Schuster

10/15/2019

Consolidating downstate and suburban police and fire pension systems is a start, but both fixes and Illinois’ pension problems go much deeper.

TAGS: IMRF: Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, JB Pritzker, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, property taxes, taxes

Poll: High taxes are top reason Illinoisans want to leave state

By Brad Weisenstein

10/10/2019

A year ago, over half of Illinoisans considered moving away, but today it’s more than 6 in 10, a new poll shows. The No. 1 reason cited for wanting to move? High taxes.

TAGS: fair tax, graduated income tax, income tax, outmigration, progressive income tax, property taxes, sales tax, taxes

Study: Illinois state tax burden ‘least-friendly’ in nation

By Vincent Caruso

10/09/2019

The Land of Lincoln is the land of the nation’s least-friendly state tax climate, according to a new study.

TAGS: fair tax, gas tax, graduated income tax, Illinois, income tax, progressive income tax, property taxes, sales tax, taxes

Progressive income tax uncertainty likely to put brakes on Illinois’ weak housing recovery

By Bryce Hill, Karlee Hinrichsen, John Josko

10/09/2019

Illinois’ housing price growth remains well below the national average because of lagging demand, caused in large part by tax policies that make people hesitant to spend.

TAGS: fair tax, housing, income tax, JB Pritzker, progressive income tax, property taxes, taxes

Illinois property tax relief begins by culling nearly 7,000 local government units

By Adam Schuster

10/08/2019

Illinois’ overabundance of local government layers provides ample room to consolidate and save property taxes.

TAGS: budget, consolidation, local government consolidation, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, property taxes, taxes, townships

East St. Louis police pension fund calls for state intercept of $1.8M, following fire pension demands

By Brad Weisenstein

10/04/2019

East St. Louis already faces a $2.2 million state funding diversion for its firefighters pension fund. Now the police pension board is demanding $1.79 million the city owes that fund.

TAGS: East St. Louis, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, property taxes, taxes

CTU demands are an insult to average Chicago taxpayers

By Bill Reveille

10/03/2019

Property tax collections for Chicago Public Schools have grown nearly twice as fast as the typical Chicago household income.

TAGS: CPS: Chicago Public Schools, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, labor, Lori Lightfoot, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, property taxes, strike, taxes

Peotone airport gains in new state budget, but history shows taxpayers lose

By Ben Szalinski

09/27/2019

Funding for a third Chicagoland airport was included in the latest state budget. The controversial plan brings a risk for more corruption and overspending that will cost taxpayers millions.

TAGS: airport, budget, JB Pritzker, peotone, south suburban airport, taxes

Illinois House bills would reverse Pritzker’s car trade-in tax

By Vincent Caruso, Joe Barnas

09/26/2019

A pair of proposals recently filed by state lawmakers would kill the vehicle trade-in sales tax before it kicks into gear at the start of 2020.

TAGS: JB Pritzker, Ryan Spain, sales tax, taxes, Tom Bennett