North Side Residents Drown From Higher Property Taxes

By on May 31, 2018   /   Illinois, Items of Interest, Latest, News Releases, Pension Reform  

View as PDF
Chicago – North side residents drown from higher property taxes as The Illinois Pension Crisis worsens.
Already burdened by some of the highest property taxes in the country, Chicago communities such as Lakeview are seeing their property taxes soar after recent property tax assessments. The average increase in Lakeview alone is 32 percent, and increases as high as 50 percent have been reported.  Combined with other tax increases, including another property tax increase pushed by the Mayor of Chicago, the situation is going from bad to worse.
As reported on by the Chicago Tribune, the greedy City of Chicago will be hiking taxes on property, water and sewer. There will also be increased fares for the CTA and increased monthly fees for 911.  The Chicago Turbine has finally identified the cause of these tax increases, Illinois pensions.
“The vast bulk of the money raised will be spent on fixing underfunded government worker pension systems that were at risk of going broke. It’s a point Mayor Rahm Emanuel often raises, also noting that he’s trying to end the practice of papering over Chicago’s longstanding financial woes accrued under former Mayor Richard M. Daley. That, however, may be cold comfort to taxpayers now shouldering the burden.”
The state of Illinois pension system has been a burden on taxpayers for years. A recent example of the Illinois Pension Crisis was Harvey Illinois. It was reported that due to pensions, Harvey Illinois was forced to lay off a quarter of the police force and almost half of their fire fighters to pay lavish pensions.
Below are just some of the pensions the citizens of Chicago are forced to pay.
 

Chicago Municipal Retirees

Top 5 Pensions as of 2017
Name Current Annual Pension Age at Retirement *Estimated lifetime payout
DENNIS  GANNON $194,638 50 $7,791,985
STEPHEN  MURRAY $146,896 53 $5,107,745
KATHRYN  NELSON $142,333 54 $4,713,837
TERESITA  SAGUN $141,231 57 $3,364,221
EDWARD BEDORE $139,080 56 $3,009,775

 
Click here for the Chicago municipal retirees top 200 Pensions
“All of the top 200 Chicago pensions for the ‘poor civil servants’ are at least $100,000 a year,” stated TUA’s president, Jim Tobin. “The average retirement age for this group of pensioners is only 58. Social Security requires taxpayers to reach age 67 before they are eligible for full retirement benefits…which max out at about $32,000 a year”

Back to Top

Merrionette Park Politicians Using Taxpayer Dollars To Push For Unlimited Home Rule Taxing Powers

By on March 16, 2018   /   Illinois, Items of Interest, Latest, News Releases, Press  

View as PDF
CHICAGO—The president of Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today condemned the politicians running the Village of Merrionette Park, IL, for using taxpayer dollars to urge its taxpayers to give them unlimited Home Rule taxing powers.
“Home Rule is the most insidious form of local government in the U.S.,” said Jim Tobin, TUA President. “It eliminates the protection of property tax caps and allows local governments to raise taxes without limit, and to create new taxes with which to bludgeon taxpayers.”
“Home Rule gives no advantages to taxpayers, but is a gift to local politicians who want to raise taxes. The highly misleading Village mailing entitled ‘Is Home Rule Right for Merrionette Park?’ states that ‘The Village Board commits to No Increase in Property Tax should this pass.’ It adds, ‘And, keep in mind, voters can always rescind if home rule isn’t for them’.”
“Once local politicians get unlimited Home Rule taxing powers, they will use every trick in the book to keep taxpayers from repealing it.”
“It’s disgraceful that taxpayer dollars are being used to convince the same taxpayers to put their heads in the noose of Home Rule. It is essential that every taxpayer in Merrionette Park vote ‘NO’ on this Home Rule referendum.”
“Once taxpayers give up their rights, it’s very hard to get them back.”
 

Back to Top

Taxpayers Say Illinois Income Tax Hike is Legal Plunder

By on July 7, 2017   /   Illinois, Items of Interest, Latest, News Releases, Taxpayer Alert  

Jared Labell | Executive Director
312 427-5128 | 773 766-4947

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 7, 2017

View as PDF
View online
CHICAGO—With the help of Republican Sen. Dale Righter (Mattoon-55), the Illinois Senate voted 36-19 to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s (R) budget veto on Independence Day.
Two days later, led by longtime Democratic Speaker and Chicago machine boss Michael J. Madigan (Chicago-22), and including 10 Republicans, members of the Illinois House voted 71-42 to override Gov. Rauner’s veto too.
Together, the Illinois General Assembly enacted the largest permanent income tax hike in the state’s history, raising the personal income tax rate to 4.95 percent from 3.75 percent, and hiking the corporate income tax rate from 7.75 percent to 9.5 percent, which includes the often-overlooked personal property replacement income tax surcharge of 2.5 percent.
“The Illinois General Assembly should really be ashamed,” said Jared Labell, executive director of Taxpayers United of America.
“We know how these tax hikes turn out for taxpayers. We’ve seen this one before. The temporary income tax increase in 2011 brought in more than $32 billion in tax revenue, but did nothing to address the state’s growing unpaid bill backlog and rapidly increasing government pension liabilities, now totaling more than $250 billion according to Moody’s,” said Labell.
“Springfield plans to collect an estimated $5 billion in additional state income tax dollars from hard-working Illinoisans, retroactive to July 1. But taxpayers did not get comprehensive pension reform, property tax cuts, or property tax freezes after two years of uncontrolled spending, $15 billion in unpaid bills, and two years of political maneuvering between the legislators and governor.”
“When was the last time you thought putting vast sums of money in the hands of politicians would be a promising idea?” asked Labell.
“This budget deal is no solution to the longstanding problem of decades of financial mismanagement by the state government. Illinoisans – our friends, our families, our neighbors – have suffered enough. We can do better.”
Labell said there are few solutions Illinois taxpayers should pursue before leaving the state.
“Hiring new government employees under defined contribution 401(k)-style pension plans, rather than lavish defined benefit plans, would help the situation going forward, but Illinois is still facing a quarter-trillion dollars in unfunded government pension liabilities. Taxpayers need a constitutional amendment on the November 2018 ballot to repeal the pension-protection clause of the Illinois State Constitution. It creates a two-tiered system in Illinois that is unsustainable and divides residents into two political classes: government employees and non-government employees,” said Labell.
“Until taxpayers can divert their tax dollars to directly fund whatever services they wish and no more, the legislators in Springfield will continue to engage in generational legal plunder with devastating income and property tax hikes.”

Back to Top