Property taxes are the single largest tax in Illinois, burdening residents far more than either income or sales taxes. Illinoisans already know they pay high property taxes. But what is not as well known is that property taxes are outpacing residents’ ability to pay for them. Over the past 50 years, whether measured in comparison...
Since 2010, Illinois has lost on net 2.6 percent of its taxpayers and dependents, along with billions of dollars of taxable income, dwarfing the rates of out-migration of other Midwestern and neighboring states.
Illinoisans pay nearly a quarter of their wireless bills in taxes, while Chicagoans pay more taxes on wireless service than residents of any other major city in the country.
Although Illinois’ top earners make more than most of their regional counterparts, Illinois’ bottom quarter of earners have the lowest wages in the Midwest
Occupational licensing requirements present one of the steepest barriers to low-income Illinoisans starting careers in beauty services. Illinois requires anyone seeking to become a barber, cosmetologist, nail technician or hair braider to obtain a state license, essentially a permission slip to work. Unlike 45 other states, Illinois offers only one pathway to licensure for each...