Lake County Gazette

Immediate reforms are needed when it comes to taxes and spending, Denise Rotheimer said in response to a new study by Truth in Accounting showing that Illinois residents have the second highest per capita tax burden in the country.

“Taxpayers should view this graph … as evidence that taxpayers' interests are not being represented by those who have been elected to hold public office,” Rotheimer, who is running against Rep. Sam Yingling (D-Round Lake Beach) in the 62nd District, told the Lake County Gazette on Nov. 17. “The taxpayer burden ranking is very important to me and must be tackled immediately with major tax and spending reforms.”

Rotheimer spoke about an “ideal government structure” and said improvements depend on having people in office who agree to be held accountable and who communicate transparently with their constituents.

Denise Rotheimer | www.facebook.com/denise.rotheimer

“Legislators must be willing to hold themselves accountable to the laws in the same manner and with the same vigor they seek to hold everyone else accountable,” Rotheimer said. “It's time that our elected officials in Springfield stop getting special treatment that has become the recipe for corruption and betrayal of the people's trust. Elected officials are not supposed to use their position as officeholders for their personal and political gain. Once our legislators as a whole understand that they must represent the interests of their constituents, then Illinois will improve, because it's not in the interest of taxpayer's to rank 49th – the only interests who have been represented by this ranking are the personal and political interests that are held by the elected officials who created this massive burden on Illinois residents.”

The tax burdens, she said, have real consequences.

“Too many people have been forced out of their homes and the state, because they just cannot afford to pay for the the wrongdoings of their elected officials who promised to represent their interests, she said.

Rotheimer said she feels that the taxpayer burden is sometimes overlooked in favor of divisive political issues, citing as an example a recent bill that allowed taxpayer funding for abortions being passed right after a large income tax increase was approved.

“The legislators cry that we don't have money, and yet they find ways to provide funding for services that are not in the interests of taxpayers or government's responsibility,” Rotheimer said.

Rotheimer said as bad as Illinois' high property taxes are, dealing with this difficult issue can bring voters together.

“People love their homes, and they want to remain in their homes to raise their families or enjoy their retirement,” she said. “To be forced out of Illinois because you cannot afford the taxes is not a reason that anyone wants … or should be faced with!”