Illinois homeowners’ property taxes are among the highest in the nation. They are consuming more and more of Illinoisans’ incomes.

More than 50 Illinois counties, municipalities and business districts started imposing sales tax increases ranging from 0.25-1.5 percent as of July 1.

The Lakewood Village Board’s decision to end a 2015 TIF district is a win for local taxpayers.

The village board of Lakewood, Illinois, will decide whether to keep a TIF district approved in 2015 in a vote scheduled for June 13.

The corporate tax reforms under President Donald Trump’s proposed tax plan could strengthen Illinois’ position as a home for businesses, but the state’s uncompetitive income, property and death tax policies would put its residents at an even greater disadvantage with respect to other states if the president’s plan passes.

In a bipartisan effort to cut McHenry County’s local tax burden, the McHenry County Board voted overwhelmingly in favor of a pledge to cut the county tax levy by 10 percent. The board chairman has intimated he will pursue further local government consolidation efforts.

Local officials’ failure to address skyrocketing property taxes has pushed residents out of McHenry County at astonishing rates.

Some steps have been taken to dissolve unnecessary units of governments, but taxpayers need an easier path to eliminate wasteful governmental bodies.