Lake County Gazette

Republican House candidate Karen Feldman views the latest property and sales tax proposals as more of the shabby treatment Illinois taxpayers have long been subjected to.

“In Illinois, nothing is fair to the taxpayer,” Feldman told the Lake County Gazette. “It’s all so unnecessary. The state has plenty of revenue coming in; lawmakers just need to be smarter. Being more business-friendly to the job creators of this state would be a good place to start.”

Economists for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago recently presented a plan to pay down the state’s rising pension debt by increasing property taxes by almost 50 percent over the next three decades. The plan would increase the annual taxes on a home valued at $500,000 by roughly $5,000, according to the DuPage Policy Journal.

Rep. Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills)

Feldman, who is challenging Democrat Daniel Didech to replace retiring Rep. Carol Sente (D-Vernon Hills) in the 59th House District this fall, is unable to follow the logic, she said.

“Everyday people are already leaving Illinois in droves over high taxes,” she said. “How can we expect that to change by making them even more outrageous? This election and its outcome will make the decision for a lot of people in terms of what they decide to do.”

Illinois homeowners pay 2.67 percent of a home’s value in ad valorem taxes, the highest rates in the country, the Illinois Policy Institute states.

Ford, Lake, Kane, Frankfort and Will counties are also asking voters to decide on a 1-percent sales tax hike this fall.

Will County has earmarked most of the additional revenue for local school districts. The tax would be categorized as part of the newly formed class of County School Facility Occupation Tax (CSFT). The rate increase would put some Will County residents’ tax burden in the same zone as Chicago’s 10.25 percent rates, which is the highest combined sales tax rate in the country, according to IPI.

Sales tax rates in Frankfort County would jump from 7 percent to 8 percent.

“If we continue on like this, soon there will be no one left in Illinois,” Feldman said. “This state has a history of earmarking money for things that never come to be. We seem to forget that people have a choice about calling Illinois home, and if we continue with this crazy idea we will see a whole new exodus of people leaving the state.”

The 59th District includes parts of Buffalo Grove, Mundelein, Wheeling and Vernon Hills.