Lake County Gazette

Hearing that Illinois lost more than 86,000 residents and $4.75 billion in adjusted gross income over a yearlong period leaves Ken Idstein more convinced than ever that the tax burden is too much for many residents.

“The IRS data show Illinois lost people and income on net to every one of its neighboring states,” Idstein, a Grayslake Republican who is running in the primary for state representative in the 62nd District, wrote in a Facebook post. “As I knocked on thousands of doors this fall, the number one concern I heard was that taxes were too high. My ears are open, and I am listening. I’m going to Springfield to make Illinois stand up for you.”

In addition to the IRS report, a recent Paul Simon Public Policy Institute survey found that nearly 50 percent of all Illinois residents now want to leave the state, with runaway taxes being cited as the top reason to exit.

Overall, the IRS data concluded that Illinois experienced a loss of nearly 42,000 tax returns to other states over the 2015-16 year surveyed, equating to an all-time high in lost exemptions.

Perhaps making matters even worse is the fact millennials are leading the charge in bolting the state. The top 10 states to which Illinois lost people were Florida (12,800 exemptions gained from Illinois on net), Texas (9,400), Indiana (8,200), California (7,600), Arizona (6,400), Wisconsin (6,000), Colorado (4,700), Georgia (4,200), Tennessee (3,600) and North Carolina (2,700), according to the report.

“I am going to make Illinois a friendlier environment for businesses and taxpayers,” Idstein added in his post. “I love Lake County and I love Illinois. I grew up here, I raised my family here and I started my business here. I’m going to stay and fight for my constituents."

The 62nd House District includes parts of Grayslake, the Round Lake communities, Hainesville, Wauconda and Gurnee.