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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The Chicago squeeze: Property taxes, fees and over 30 individual taxes crush city residents
Chicagoans are the most-taxed residents of any major city in Illinois and pay the 10th-highest property taxes compared to taxpayers in other large U.S. cities.
Illinois DCEO gives Amazon tax credits worth $10 million
With special tax breaks for Amazon, Illinois resorts to sweetheart deals to overcome the effects of the state’s anti-growth policies, leaving smaller businesses to shoulder the full tax and regulatory burden.
Growing tax burden will push people out of Cook County and Chicago
City officials are pushing property-tax hikes, sales-tax hikes, and even a commuter tax and financial-transaction tax.
Killing Illiana: Closing the road to nowhere a win for Illinois
Why the nightmare named Illiana should be scrapped once and for all.
Low local turnout defines April elections
Even in the ousting of the scandal-ridden College of DuPage board, a mere 1 in 6 eligible to vote did.
Burnham’s $650K corruption scandal a lot like Dixon’s
When it comes to government corruption, history often repeats itself in Illinois, both in terms of types of corruption and the failure of government to implement policies that could prevent it. Recently, federal authorities charged the village of Burnham’s long-time village clerk, Nancy Dobrowski, with stealing over $650,000 in funds from local taxpayers. Allegedly, Dobrowski...
Chicago’s collar counties should get their welcome mats ready
Expect Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s call for property tax hikes to be a boon for Chicago’s collar counties and Lake County, Ind. Cook County residents have been fleeing to neighboring counties for decades, and Emanuel’s proposed hikes – to prop up city pensions – will only increase the outflow. According to IRS data, Cook County lost...
61 local taxing bodies win Sunshine Award in Illinois
During Sunshine Week 2014, the Illinois Policy Institute recognized 38 agencies for earning our Sunshine Award for excellence in online transparency. So far this year, the number of Sunshine Award winners is up to 61 – a 60 percent increase. Over the past year, we have partnered with dozens of local taxing bodies across the...
Six places Chicagoans will flee to if property tax increases are part of Chicago’s pension fix
There’s one simple reason why Detroit finally filed for bankruptcy in 2013. When it came time to pay its bills, the Motor City had run out of taxpayers. Taxpayers fled Detroit for decades as the city’s tax bill kept growing and its vital government services, such as public safety, were slashed. Detroit has lost more...
