Lake County Gazette

Illinois state Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, said he wonders how long Illinois can be Illinois without major structural change taking place.

“Progressive policies are killing Illinois,” McSweeney recently posted on Facebook. “We’ve lost over $310 billion because of outmigration. It’s time to cut taxes so that we can keep families from fleeing our state.”

The $310 billion is highlighted in a new Wirepoints analysis of Internal Revenue Service Data. All of the losses have come since 2000.

In each of the last five years, Illinois has experienced population declines with the losses growing to be so severe at one point the state fell behind Pennsylvania and out of the top 5 in the country on the list of most populated. As the 2020 Census draws near, speculation is growing that Illinois could lose as many as two U.S. Representatives to reapportionment in 2021 after the Census is certified.

Wirepoints found the state would have gained income from people moving here recently, but IRS data found people leaving the state had average incomes $14,000 higher than those arriving.

By comparison, Florida gained nearly $1 trillion in adjusted gross income over the same period, while Texas picked up $250 billion, with researchers noting much of it came at Illinois’ expense.

"It’s time to cut property taxes in Illinois,” McSweeney added in a separate post. “I have introduced a bill that would cut property tax levies in Illinois by 10 percent.”

McSweeney, who has served in Springfield since 2013, recently announced that he will not be seeking a fifth term, hinting that he may be poised to now make a run at the statewide Senate or Secretary of State’s office in 2022.