The governor’s office issued a concerning response to a simple request for the numbers backing up his “fair tax” proposal.

Declining home values and a shrinking tax base have created a bigger property tax burden for Harvey, Illinois, homeowners. For their higher taxes, residents get corruption, debt and fewer services.

The Civic Federation’s criticism of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget is a mixed bag, with its own proposals for Illinois’ financial crisis – including nearly $3 billion in tax hikes – missing the mark.

The Civic Federation’s budget plan repeats old mistakes with multibillion-dollar tax hikes and no serious, structural reform.

The Civic Federation is pushing a $30 billion tax hike in Illinois, following the same mistaken path that got Illinois in today’s fiscal crisis.

by Ashley Muchow According to the Civic Federation, the City of Chicago is $2.4 billion behind on its pension contributions. In fiscal year 2009, Chicago pumped $423.9 million into its Municipal, Laborers, Police, and Fire pension funds. Using GASB standards, the Civic Foundation found that the city was $566.5 million short of what should have been contributed. So why...

by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Since 2000, Chicago’s city budget has increased 11% (adjusted for inflation). Spending  reforms are needed to ensure the long-term health of city finances, but it appears that Mayor Daley would rather continue depleting the city’s reserves. Failing to make tough spending cuts today will only make the situation worse down the road. The Chicago Tribune reports: The...