Pensions make Illinois property taxes among nation’s most painful

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill, Joe Tabor

07/30/2018

Any meaningful property tax relief for Illinoisans means reforming Illinois’ unsustainable public pension system.

Owner of ‘Sixteen Candles’ home paid more than $200K in property taxes over past decade

By Chena Underhill

07/25/2018

That’s why they call them taxes. If they were easy, they’d call them something else.

TAGS: outmigration, property taxes

Puzzled by property taxes: Improving transparency and fairness in Illinois’ assessment system

By Amy Korte

07/19/2018

Illinois should take steps toward more accurate and frequent property assessments to ensure the tax burden is distributed as fairly as possible.

Candy crush: Illinois slaps sales tax on Snickers, but not Twix

By Travis Nix

06/25/2018

State lawmakers should reform Illinois’ overly complicated sales taxes and other anti-business taxes, which violate guiding principles of sound tax policy.

TAGS: Chicago, franchise tax, plastic bags, sales tax, soda tax, taxes

U.S. Supreme Court decision opens door for repeal of obscure Illinois tax

By Adam Schuster, Travis Nix

06/23/2018

Illinois is expected to raise an additional $200 million in sales tax revenue due to changes in the new state budget and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc. Lawmakers should offset this expansion of the sales tax by ending a $200 million harmful tax on business investment.

TAGS: franchise tax, sales tax, taxes, U.S. Supreme Court

Lawmakers seek to dismantle school-choice scholarship program for low-income students

By Vincent Caruso

04/25/2018

A bill in the Illinois Senate could axe the state’s first-ever tax credit scholarship program.

TAGS: education, Invest in Kids, opportunity scholarships, school choice

Collinsville, Granite City sales taxes would rival Chicago’s under tax hike referendum

By Austin Berg

03/09/2018

Madison County voters have twice turned down a proposed sales-tax hike to fund school facilities projects, but the proposal will appear again on March primary ballots. If approved, shoppers in Collinsville and Granite City would see some of the highest sales tax rates in the country.

TAGS: Metro East, property taxes, sales tax, taxes, TIF: Tax Increment Financing

Real relief: What Illinoisans looking for property tax reform can learn from Virginia

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill, Joe Tabor

03/08/2018

If Illinois adopted Virginia’s spending habits along with policies that can reduce costs and raise home values, the Prairie State could vastly reduce the property tax burden that Illinois homeowners currently face.

Budget Solutions 2019: The responsible budget for Illinois

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill, Joe Tabor

02/06/2018

Even after a 32 percent income tax hike, the Illinois General Assembly passed a state budget in 2017 that will generate an estimated $1.5 billion deficit in fiscal year 2018. That deficit is projected to grow to $2.15 billion in fiscal year 2019, according to the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, or GOMB. The...

Thank you for smoking: Illinois’ cigarette taxes fourth-highest in the Midwest

By Vincent Caruso

01/29/2018

The Land of Lincoln's addiction to regressive "sin taxes" burns more and more of Illinoisans' incomes.

TAGS: sales tax, taxes

Illinois Department of Revenue

Pensions make Illinois property taxes among nation’s most painful

Owner of ‘Sixteen Candles’ home paid more than $200K in property taxes over past decade

Puzzled by property taxes: Improving transparency and fairness in Illinois’ assessment system

Candy crush: Illinois slaps sales tax on Snickers, but not Twix

U.S. Supreme Court decision opens door for repeal of obscure Illinois tax

Lawmakers seek to dismantle school-choice scholarship program for low-income students

Collinsville, Granite City sales taxes would rival Chicago’s under tax hike referendum

Real relief: What Illinoisans looking for property tax reform can learn from Virginia

Budget Solutions 2019: The responsible budget for Illinois

Thank you for smoking: Illinois’ cigarette taxes fourth-highest in the Midwest

Pathway to a Profession: How Apprenticeships Could Reshape Illinois’ Beauty Service Industry

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students