Want a job? Move to a state that doesn’t tax work

By Michael Lucci

04/28/2014

Do high taxes help or hinder a state? The Fiscal Policy Center at Voices for Illinois Children thinks high taxes are a good thing. The group released a study recently claiming that states that levy high personal income taxes outperform states that don’t tax income at all. They use their study as a justification for...

Illinois has the nation’s 2nd-highest property taxes

By Brian Costin

12/20/2013

Illinois’ property tax rates have skyrocketed since 2010. The average property tax rate 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 tax rate increase in just two years. This rate spike is due to declining home values and local taxing bodies increasing property tax levies....

TAGS: property taxes, taxes

Michael Jordan paid $200K in property taxes in 2012 on suburban Chicago home

By Hilary Gowins

12/17/2013

Michael Jordan paid nearly $200,000 in property taxes in 2012 on his Highland Park home. And now, he’s having trouble getting the property off his hands. Interested buyers had the opportunity to own the six-time NBA champion’s 56,000 square foot Highland Park home at auction on Monday – if they had $250,000 to throw down...

TAGS: Michael Jordan, property taxes, taxes

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

Cash-strapped Illinois should end master’s degree pay bumps

10/10/2013

School districts across Illinois waste more than $941 million a year by giving raises to teachers who earn their master’s degrees, even though most studies show these degrees do nothing to boost student achievement. In fact, even U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan thinks this is one of the worst ways to spend money in...

TAGS: Arne Duncan, education, masters degree

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

Money walks

By Ted Dabrowski

08/20/2013

Nine states with the highest personal income tax rates lost $90.05 billion in taxable income between 2000 and 2010.

TAGS: income tax, progressive income tax

Nine states with the highest personal income tax rates lost $90.05 billion in adjusted gross income between 2000 and 2010

By Ted Dabrowski

08/20/2013

When people don’t like the direction in which their state is headed, they often vote with their feet. That’s precisely what Illinoisans did during the last decade, and they took their income with them. Illinois netted a loss of more $20 billion to other states through the out-migration of its residents from 2000-2010, according to...

New Jersey

Want a job? Move to a state that doesn’t tax work

Illinois has the nation’s 2nd-highest property taxes

Michael Jordan paid $200K in property taxes in 2012 on suburban Chicago home

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

Illinois Obamacare grant goes to California

Emanuel pushes $0.75 cigarette tax hike for Chicago

Cash-strapped Illinois should end master’s degree pay bumps

Shrinking the Illinois Senate

Money walks

Nine states with the highest personal income tax rates lost $90.05 billion in adjusted gross income between 2000 and 2010

4 ways to break out of Illinois’ pension trap

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