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With voters set to decide on progressive income tax, Illinois wealth flight among worst in the nation

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill
01/07/2020
New data shows Illinois since 2010 lost up to $32 billion in income from people moving out. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s graduated income tax plan would hike rates on residents most likely to leave the state, on net.

TAGS: graduated income tax, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, income, IRS: Internal Revenue Service, JB Pritzker, outmigration, population, progressive income tax, spending cap, Springfield, tax rates, U.S. Census Bureau

Power in payments: Illinois can help unbanked residents, save money by adopting best practices in payment methods

11/21/2019
Each year, tens of billions of dollars flow through Illinois state government.1 These flows all depend on methods of payment. In deciding on those payment methods, policymakers must consider a number of important factors, including security controls, cost effectiveness, accessibility, speed and allowance for choice. This report shows that by adopting best practices across all...

Corruption costs Illinois taxpayers at least $550M per year

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill
08/04/2019
Chicago is the most corrupt city, and Illinois the second-most corrupt state, in the nation, according to a recent report by the University of Illinois at Chicago. But corruption in Illinois is more than a buzzword. It comes with social and economic costs. Not only does corruption lessen residents’ faith in the government, it decreases...

House hunters: How high taxes hurt home investment in Illinois

By Orphe Divounguy, Suman Chattopadhyay, Bryce Hill
09/17/2018
Without property and income tax relief, housing in Illinois will continue to be less attractive, Illinois’ population is likely to continue its decline and housing price appreciation can be expected to continue to lag the rest of the nation.

Education finance solutions

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner
02/09/2017
Making Illinois’ system fairer through pension reform, consolidation and accountability to parents and students.

The cost of Illinois’ lawmakers

By John Klingner, Ted Dabrowski
07/26/2016
Illinois lawmakers pay themselves the fifth-highest annual lawmaker base salary in the country.