Property-tax hikes have caused taxes on NBA star Dwyane Wade’s former house to more than triple, driving away prospective buyers and showing the harm Illinois’ sky-high property-tax rates inflict on homeowners.

State lawmakers propose regressive tax on sugary drinks to help fill budget holes created by decades of irresponsible policies.

In 2015 alone, Illinois state government redistributed more than $12 billion in income and other taxes to local governments. These financial shell games have created a needlessly complex system and make it difficult for local taxpayers to hold their governments accountable.

Since 1990, the average property-tax bill in Illinois has grown more than three times faster than the state's median household income.

In an effort to shore up pension debt, Chicago officials in 2014 adopted a pension-reform package that included raising the telephone tax. Though the Illinois Supreme Court struck down these changes, the tax hike remains.

While the mayor is right to say that expanding the downtown development area is a “win-win” for developers and poor communities, expanding downtown without the mayor’s proposed new tax on developers and inflexible size restrictions would be a bigger win for both.