New Jersey

Property tax rates skyrocket in Illinois, 2nd-highest in U.S.

By Brian Costin
12/05/2013
Illinois’ property tax rates have skyrocketed since 2010, according to new analysis done by the Tax Policy Center. The survey examined the 23 Illinois counties with populations exceeding 65,000. The average property tax rates as a percent of home value has soared from 1.93 percent in 2010 to 2.28 percent in 2012. This represents an 18 percent property...

TAGS: property taxes

Illinois Obamacare grant goes to California

By Jackson Adams
10/28/2013
A California group with a history of making political contributions to Illinois politicians and connections to the Obama administration was awarded a federal “navigator” grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, to help Illinoisans enroll in the Obamacare health insurance exchange. The East Los Angeles Community Union, or TELACU, was awarded...

TAGS: ACA: Affordable Care Act

Emanuel pushes $0.75 cigarette tax hike for Chicago

By Benjamin VanMetre
10/21/2013
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to increase the cigarette tax in Chicago by 75 cents per pack. The tax hike would increase the per-pack total to $7.42 — making Chicago the most expensive city in the nation in which to buy a pack of cigarettes. This tax hike is one of the plans Emanuel is considering to...

TAGS: Chicago, cigarette tax, Rahm Emanuel

Shrinking the Illinois Senate

By Brian Costin
10/08/2013
With 42,336 elected officials as of 1992, Illinois has nearly 12,000 more state and local elected politicians than any other state. Amazingly, with this unprecedented wealth of legislators Illinois hasn’t been able to adequately address some of its most dire problems. Illinois still ranks near the bottom of the nation in numerous key economic indicators,...

TAGS: term limits

Chicago’s speed camera deal brokered behind closed doors

By Brian Costin
07/23/2013
Turns out there’s no proof that Chicago’s red-light camera program has done anything to improve safety. In May, the Chicago Inspector General released a scathing audit of Chicago’s controversial red-light camera program. The audit found the Chicago of Department of Transportation couldn’t prove it placed cameras at Chicago’s most dangerous locations or that the cameras actually...

Houston woos Dwight Howard with state income tax

By Hilary Gowins
07/05/2013
In the wake of Lebron James’ second-straight NBA title and the end of the professional season, free agents across the league are considering their next moves. Some of the biggest names to enter the free-agent fray include the Los Angeles Lakers’ Dwight Howard and New York Knicks sixth-man, J.R. Smith. As these athletes consider their decision, they’ll...

TAGS: progressive income tax, taxes

Illinois’ seemingly endless appetite: another $1.3 billion borrowing

06/27/2013
by Ted Dabrowski As if Illinois didn’t have enough debt to deal with, the state borrowed another $1.3 billion. The state says it needs the money for infrastructure projects. Illinois tapped the bond markets despite the current fallout from the state’s failure to reform pensions and the recent bond market instability, which drove states like...
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Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.

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Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014

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

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016