Illinois Department of Revenue

Tax Amnesty for Online Sales Ends Saturday

10/10/2011
by Kristina Rasmussen October 15 — this Saturday — is the last day of Illinois’s amnesty program for consumers to pay use tax for Internet purchases where sales tax was not collected. From an oldState Journal-Register article: The state will offer a sales tax amnesty from Jan. 1 through Oct. 15. Under legislation passed last year and...

Property Tax Bills Confusing Many in Cook County

By Chris Andriesen
11/17/2010
by Wesley Fox Many property taxpayers in Cook County are confused and angry by their property tax bills.  While property value assessments are supposedly declining, tax bills are increasing leaving many asking, “Why?” According to one columnist at the Southern Star: I have been writing about the property tax for more than two decades now and still...

Illinois Tax Amnesty. Will it Work?

10/14/2010
by Ashley Muchow A five-week tax amnesty period for those behind on their taxes this year began the 1st of this month. SB377, signed into law this summer, allows those who have accumulated back taxes between June 30, 2002 and July 1, 2009, to pay without penalty from October 1st to November 8th. Those tax...

Sales Tax Confusion for Chicago Restaurants

08/30/2010
by Brian Costin A recent Chicago Reader article highlights confusion among Chicago’s restaurants in regards to the recent Cook County sales tax reduction, and a myriad of different taxing districts within the city. Every retail establishment in Chicago must collect and turn over to the Illinois Department of Revenue a 9.75 percent “retailers’ occupation tax”—or sales tax. This...

Over $25 Million Paid to Auditors

04/09/2010
by Mark Cavers In 2008, the Illinois Department of Revenue paid their 350 auditors a combined $26,618,331.92 in wages.  209 of these employees made over $80,000, with the top 16 individuals making $108,025.50. The Department of Revenue also employed 42 individuals as “revenue auditor trainees,” with their combined wages totaling $1,689,227.29. In total, the Department of Revenue...