The Barrington Hills Observer

By Bryce Hill | Illinois Policy Institute

New Illinois lawmakers who will be sworn into office Jan. 11 would serve their state well if they started their terms by providing overtaxed Illinoisans with economic relief.

Early into 2023, Illinoisans continue to pay many costs that residents of other states do not. Those costs include the highest cell phone taxes and second-highest property taxes in the nation.

Illinois’ excess taxes and fees further hurt the state’s families, who are already struggling to pay the ongoing costs of rampant, nationwide inflation. Lawmakers’ inertia on tax reform over time may be discouraging, but the new legislative session offers hope for change. New lawmakers looking to make a difference could do so by eliminating some of the unnecessary costs that make Illinois a less affordable place to live.

Here are three potential solutions Illinois’ leaders could pursue:

1. End automatic gas tax hikes.
2. Adopt hold-harmless pension reform to reduce Illinoisans’ property tax burden.
3. Loosen regulations on small businesses.

Read Hill’s full editorial here.