An embattled Chicago-area township supervisor is being accused of discouraging competition ahead of her campaign by cutting the position’s pay if she loses. It may be illegal, but someone would need to sue.
The Chicago City Council is considering an ordinance to effectively ban natural gas in most new buildings, including gas stoves. Energy providers warn the policy could double heating costs for Chicago homes.
Illinois’ excise tax on wine is more than 4 times higher than the same bottle in New York or California. Buying in Chicago adds extra tax layers, hitting 6 times the taxes of other big cities.
Bally’s temporary casino in Medinah Temple handed Chicago $3 million since its opening in September, $9.6 million below original projections.
They call it a “mansion tax” that can “Bring Chicago Home,” but those are false labels that hide a tax threat to the city’s economic health. There are better ways to create affordable housing and help homeless Chicagoans.
Illinois wireless plan holders paid more on average in federal, state and local taxes than anywhere else in the U.S. The taxes were higher than the combined taxes of the two lowest-ranked states. Chicagoans managed to pay even more.
Illinoisans will have wagered more than $300 million on football during December, or roughly $25 a person. Illinois is the second-largest sports betting market in the nation.
Sales taxes up to 11.5% will greet some Cook County shoppers this holiday season. Illinois averages 8.82% in sales taxes statewide, slightly more than last year and the seventh highest nationwide.
Streaming holiday movies or music? Chicago taxes it as the same rate as enjoying the same thing in person. The 9% amusement tax has included streaming services since 2015.
State politicians like to pass laws they claim will make Illinoisans healthier by taxing their naughty habits. The taxes rarely are as lucrative as projected and hurt some more than others.
The current owners Kevin McCallister’s house from “Home Alone” will pay more than $50,000 in property taxes this year. Illinoisans pay the second-highest property taxes in the nation on average.
Holiday travel this year is expected to be the second-busiest since AAA started tracking it in 2000. For Illinoisans, it means driving across a state line could avoid the nation’s second-highest gas taxes.
Two false labels are attached to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s push to tax high-dollar real estate sales. It’s not a “mansion tax.” It taxes mainly businesses. It won’t help “Bring Chicago Home.” It will fuel businesses moving out.
Now that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has passed his first budget, attention should be on the Chicago Public Schools. School leaders claim it will have a budget hole of over $600 million by 2025.