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State vs. local property tax debate rages in Illinois

Posted in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, Look For The Union Label, Perjury, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Taxes, The Center Square, Unions on April 1, 2026| 1 Comment »

By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square

Gov. J.B. Pritzker says property taxes are a local issue, but a county treasurer’s report says hefty tax increases are allowed by state law.

The governor was asked about property tax relief at an event in Chicago on Monday.

“Well, I want to remind you that property taxes are not determined by the state of Illinois, but rather by local governments, indeed, local units of government, including school boards, park boards, library boards, municipalities, etc,” Pritzker said.

The governor then pointed to the minority party in Illinois.

“So I think people sometimes get confused. I know the Republican Party in Illinois is quite confused and thinks that this is a state issue when it is actually a local issue,” Pritzker said.

Americans for Prosperity Illinois Deputy State Director Brian Costin said the governor’s statement is false.

“It is absolutely a state issue. If Gov. Pritzker doesn’t understand that, he doesn’t understand what the state constitution is about and that local governments are created by the state government,” Costin told The Center Square.

A report by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas said loopholes in state law allowed local officials to raise taxes at twice the rate of inflation and also higher than wage growth from 1994 to 2025.

Article continues here.

Related: “Editorial: Maria Pappas’ property tax numbers don’t lie. Governance in Illinois has been a stark failure for 30 years,” “Cook County property taxes doubled the rate of inflation in past 30 years, Treasurer Maria Pappas study finds”

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Some blame taxes as Illinois grows on paper but loses residents

Posted in Cost of Living, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square, The Chicago Way, Unions on March 31, 2026| Leave a Comment »

By Sean Reed | The Center Square

Illinois’ population has continued to narrowly grow this year, despite a significant number of cities in the state losing residents to other states.

Some say the trend of increasing tax rates is to blame.

The majority of metropolitan areas in the state have lost residents again in 2025, with Census Bureau data estimates showing only two major areas with any real domestic growth, Rockford and the Illinois portion of the St. Louis metro.

Bryce Hill, director of fiscal and economic analysis for the Illinois Policy Institute, said taxes are driving Illinoisans beyond state boundaries.

“Illinois already imposes one of the highest tax burdens in the country, with the nation’s highest property taxes, among the highest sales taxes, and a 32% income tax increase in 2017,” Hill said. “If state leaders are serious about reversing domestic outmigration, they must focus on tax relief and reducing regulatory barriers to make Illinois more competitive and affordable.”

Rockford is the only main metro in the state that saw true population growth, according to the data. The gain came from all areas, domestic and international migration, and a natural population increase.

The Chicago metro, including surrounding counties, saw a domestic migration loss of almost 34,000, with the area only growing by 4,200 people when accounting for international migration.

Darren Bailey, the Republican nominee for Illinois Governor, also pointed to state taxes as a big reason people are leaving Illinois.

“It’s pretty simple. It’s affordability. People can’t afford to live here. I mean that is the number one far and away issue. I have been in Chicago for the last two weeks,” Bailey said. “Property taxes are too high – especially for our friends here in Chicago, they have escalated in the last three years much faster than ours have in the rest of the state.”

Article continues here.

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New IRS Migration Numbers: Illinois Taxpayers Continue to Flee With Their Income

Posted in Blame Canada, Cost of Living, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, Immigration, Politics, Property Taxes, Unions, Wirepoints on March 24, 2026| 1 Comment »

By Mark Glennon and John Klingner* | Wirepoints

The Internal Revenue Service on Friday released its annual numbers on taxpayer interstate migration, which are for changes from 2022 to 2023. In several ways, these numbers are more important than census numbers because they measure income taxpayers and are precise — the IRS knows and reports how many taxpayers changed their residence from one state to another.

Here are the key takeaways for Illinois:

  • For the year, Illinois lost 54,000 people (tax filers and their dependents), to net domestic out migration. That’s the 3rd most in the nation, behind only California and New York.
  • The annual incomes of people moving out of Illinois are far bigger than for those moving in — $104,000 vs. $79,000.
  • From 2000 through 2023, Illinois lost 780,000 net taxpayers (filers) to out-migration.
  • Adding in those taxpayers’ dependents, Illinois lost 1.6 million net residents to out-migration from 2000 through 2023.
  • Most importantly, since 2000, $94 billion of  Adjusted Gross Income left with departing taxpayers. That’s just for the first year after departure. Assuming they continued to work, the true aggregate total is far higher.

Details are in the charts shown.

On the surface, it may appear that Illinois’ rate of loss declined in that the number of taxpayer leaving with their income was less than recent years, as you can see in the charts. However, that reduction is likely attributable to the sharp decline in moves of any kind — to a record low. 2023 saw the fewest amount of moves nationwide since the U.S government began tracking the data in the 1940s. That reduction in moves resulted mostly from the sale sclerosis that set in as mortgage interest rates spiked from 2022 to 2023. That left many homeowners reluctant to sell because they did not want to give up the low-rate mortgages they obtained earlier.

Among other states, the biggest winners of taxpayers and income gained were Florida, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Arizona, in that order.

(Click on image to enlarge)

Article continues here.

*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints and John Klingner was earlier its Research Director.

Editorial note: Those living in Illinois illegally, such as the 25-year-old Venezuelan migrant Jose Medina of the 6800 block of North Sheridan Road in the Rogers Park neighborhood who assassinated an 18-year-old Loyola University freshman recently, are likely not counted in the IRS figures.

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Pritzker doesn’t tell whole story on test scores

Posted in Barrington Education Association, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Education, Fat Bastard, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Policy Institute, Immigration, Politics, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, Unions on March 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Counter to the governor’s claims, Illinois students’ scores on a national assessment have dropped despite more education spending.

By Hannah Schmid | Illinois Policy Institute

Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently touted Illinois eighth-graders’ reading and math scores as proof of increased public school funding’s effect on student success.

Here’s the reality: Illinois students’ scores have dropped despite that increased spending. And there’s more to the data than Pritzker let on about Illinois students outperforming those in other states.

If the governor wants to help students, he should join the majority of states that are opting into a federal program that provides donor money for students’ targeted needs.

Illinois student scores drop despite increased education spending

In his budget address last month, Pritzker said “historic investments” in public education have boosted student success. But Illinois student performance in both reading and math fell over the most recent 10 years of the National Assessment for Educational Progress.

Those declines weren’t just because of COVID-era shutdowns. Both eighth- and fourth-grade scores were dropping in both reading and math even before schools were closed.

During that same period from 2013 to 2024, the state’s spending on K-12 education rose by nearly $10 billion. That’s a 44% increase over a period when enrollment declined 10%.

Counter to Pritzker’s claims, the increased spending on Illinois schools has not improved student achievement.

Article continues here.

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JB Pritzker’s Political Brand Is at Stake—in a Race He’s Not Even Running In – Wall Street Journal

Posted in Clown Car, ComEd Four, Commodius Maximus, Cost of Living, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Fat Bastard, Illinois State Board of Elections, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes, Unions, Wall Street Journal on March 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Illinois’s governor has given at least $5 million to a group backing his lieutenant governor and upsetting the Congressional Black Caucus. | Eileen T. Meslar / Chicago Tribune/Zuma Press

By John McCormick | Wall Street Journal

CHICAGO—Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s deep financial involvement in his state’s U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday has angered potential allies for his possible 2028 presidential bid.

The billionaire is helping finance a multimillion-dollar barrage of ads to boost Juliana Stratton, his lieutenant governor, in a race that is also testing Pritzker’s political clout in a state where he has leveraged his wealth to dominate the Democratic Party.

The contest has turned sharply negative in its closing weeks, while revealing divisions within the party over how progressive the Democratic brand should be. It has also become a debate about the influence of outside money.

Pritzker’s involvement has especially angered the Congressional Black Caucus, an influential party group backing one of its own, Rep. Robin Kelly (D., Ill.). Both Stratton and Kelly are Black.

“His behavior in this race won’t soon be forgotten by any of us,” Rep. Yvette Clarke (D., N.Y.), the CBC’s leader, said in a statement also critical of the governor for trying to “tip the scales” in a primary.

Black voter support is critical in Democratic presidential primaries. Clarke declined an interview, while Pritzker recently told reporters he has a proven record of supporting nonwhite candidates.

“I would like a Black woman to represent us in the United States Senate. I just want the best person. She happens to be a Black woman,” he said. “I stand with communities of color across the state and with candidates who are running for public office.”

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, taking a selfie, has stressed her progressive leanings. | Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images

Article continues here.

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Pritzker denies traveling on Epstein’s plane after Bill Clinton’s since-recanted testimony

Posted in Capitol News Illinois, Ethics, Fat Bastard, Politics on March 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »

By Ben Szalinski | Capitol News Illinois

Gov. JB Pritzker denied a since-recanted comment by former President Bill Clinton that Clinton thought the pair may have traveled together on a plane owned by convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

His denial was in response to a 90-second video clip of Clinton’s closed-door deposition before the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that began circulating online Monday night.

“No, I have never, had never met Jeffrey Epstein,” Pritzker said Tuesday. “I was never on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane. I was never on any plane with Jeffrey Epstein or with Ghislaine Maxwell. Never met her.”

Pritzker added he had never heard of Epstein until about 2019 when Epstein was indicted for child sex trafficking in the early 2000s.

Clinton’s testimony

In his deposition, the ex-president was asked to recall who he brought on more than two dozen flights he took on Epstein’s plane. He said it was often people who worked with him, for his foundation, including staffers and Secret Service agents, but also the governor of Illinois and his wife.

“On occasion, I had people who had volunteered to help us and wanted to see what we were doing,” Clinton said. “For example, I think it was on one of these trips — I think — that I had my first trip for a man who is now the governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, and his wife. They gave me — they helped me get started.”

Article continues here.

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Illinois state spending balloons as state economy stagnates

Posted in BOHICA, Clown Car, Commodius Maximus, Cost of Living, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, Fat Man Walking, Girlie man, Illinois Policy Institute, Look For The Union Label, Organizations, Pension Funding, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes, Unions on December 31, 2025| Leave a Comment »

At least 49 tax hikes under Gov. J.B. Pritzker have driven state spending to record highs, even as Illinois’ economic growth has lagged the U.S.

By Ravi Mishra | Illinois Policy Institute

Illinois lawmakers frequently boast about economic growth and development, yet Illinois has posted one of the slowest gross domestic product growth rates in the nation while the budget has soared.

Illinois’ budget doesn’t reflect economic reality

Illinois’ budget has grown at an alarming rate during Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s tenure. While government spending is a component of GDP, rapid increases in public spending can crowd out private economic activity. Higher taxes used to finance this public spending can hurt consumption and private investment, a dynamic that seems to be playing out in Illinois.

Since 2018, Illinois’ economy has grown just 7.4% – among the slowest of any state. In that same time, the state budget has grown over 36%, nearly five times faster than the economy. The U.S. economy has grown 18%, 2.5 times faster than Illinois’.

If not the economy, what has driven the state’s budget surge?

Pritzker’s administration has enacted at least 49 tax hikes since 2019. Some of the most egregious examples include:

  • Doubling state gas taxes and tying annual increases to inflation thereafter, creating a $3.3 billion surplus in the state’s road fund.
  • Halting the repeal of the franchise tax, which had been agreed to in 2019.
  • Capping the retailers’ discounts – the portion of sales taxes retailers were allowed to keep as reimbursement for collecting the taxes – effectively raising sales taxes on brick-and-mortar businesses.

Not only have these hikes hit taxpayers and employers but have also weighed down Illinois’ economic performance. Illinois already has had among the highest corporate tax rates in the country, but recent changes have only made the system more complex and burdensome. The tax environment has led to the state losing businesses, and combined with high overall burden, has contributed to years of population decline.

Read more here.

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Illinois rejects federal ‘no tax on tips’ rule, keeps state tax on tipped income

Posted in Entertainment, Fat Bastard, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, The Center Square on November 30, 2025| 2 Comments »

By Catrina Barker | The Center Square contributor

Illinois is not adopting the new federal “no tax on tips” provision, meaning tipped workers in the state will still owe Illinois income tax on tips, even when those tips are exempt at the federal level.

Manish Bhatt, senior policy analyst with the Tax Foundation, said Illinois’ tax structure makes it possible for the state to decline the new tip exemption.

“Only those states that begin state-level income tax calculations using the federal definition of taxable income have it automatically incorporated into the tax code,” Bhatt explained. “I don’t believe Illinois does that. So I think the states are certainly able to not incorporate that individual sort of exemption on tips and overtime wages.”

Even for states that do automatically conform to federal tax changes, Bhatt said it may be wiser to “decouple” from the federal rule.

“It’s much more sound tax policy to not create carve-outs for certain taxpayers at the expense of others,” he said. “More general reform certainly needs to happen to bring the tax burden down for everybody.”

Bhatt said taxpayers who are seeing and hearing about the no tax on tips at the federal level might not think about having to actually add those back into their state return.

“It’s not that those individuals are trying to avoid taxation. They just don’t know to add that back into their state income tax,” Bhatt told The Center Square.

Bhatt warned that confusion could lead to filing mistakes or the need for paid tax preparation services.

Read more here.

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Illinois business group warns of ‘backbreaking’ progressive income tax

Posted in Cost of Living, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square, Unions on November 26, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at an Advocate Health Care event at District 21 Health Center in Illinois. | Photo: BlueRoomStream / Screenshot

By Greg Bishop | The Center Square

Manufacturers say legislators at the Illinois State Capitol have done enough damage and a progressive tax would be too much.

Last week, former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn proposed a 3% surcharge on incomes over $1 million. The effort comes after voters in 2020 disapproved of changing the state’s flat tax to a tax with higher rates for higher earners. All the talk comes as Chicago’s mayor calls for “progressive revenue” from Springfield.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said state lawmakers are already talking.

“I believe that we need to have a system that is more progressive and less regressive than the one that we have now,” Pritzker said. “I think it is something that is being talked about by members of the General Assembly.”

Pritzker was asked about whether voters are ready for another push.

“I do think a graduated system is better than a flat tax system, and so if there’s a possibility for us to have a system like that, it’s better than the one we have,” Pritzker said.

On Tuesday, Technology and Manufacturing Association Executive Vice President Dennis LaComb said even the talk about such policies will turn prospective businesses away from Illinois.

“The rhetoric to revive a progressive tax is not only reckless but dangerous—prospective businesses will hear that and avoid Illinois, struggling working families will no longer be able to afford to live here and move elsewhere, and manufacturers and businesses looking to expand in this state will have to account for added taxes,” LaComb said in a statement.

Read more here.

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Pritzker says ‘Donald Trump and his cronies can fuck all the way off’ to standing ovation from public teachers’ union – YouTube

Posted in Barrington Education Association, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Education, Fat Bastard, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, School Districts, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)?, Wirepoints on November 2, 2025| 2 Comments »

Watch the video here.

Our thanks to Wirepoints for the graphic and post.

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