The taxes are forcing people to move out
Having the perspective of watching Illinois from Iowa I can tell that there are many frustrated people in Illinois. So frustrated are many people that there are movements for many counties to exit Illinois and join either Indiana or Iowa.
For years the movement of bills through the Illinois legislative process was controlled by one representative form a district in Chicago. Michael Madigan, yes, now watching from his jail cell in West Virginia, controlled this flow with the exception of two years between 1983 through 2021. This power had been created when Illinois rewrote their constitution in 1970 to remove some of the powers of the governor and bring it to the legislative branch.
Illinois’s problem is not that it is dictated by the governor or the legislature, the problem is the attitude of the political party that seems to be in control of the legislature for the long term. That control seems to have a strong presence of Chicago Democrats, also though there a few pockets of out state democrats form certain areas that seem to play along to well.
Bruce Rauner found out all too well when he tried to be a governor, and he was Republican light. Even though he won with a large statewide majority, 50.27 percent to Pat Quinn’s 46.35 percent carrying every county except Cook, the home county to Chicago, the Madigan roadblock too place.
Illinois driven by the Chicago Democrats that have a big problem. They are behind on their pension payments, they spend more money than the have giving the name fiscally irresponsible a new definition. Public transit has rarely broke even in recent history.
Illinois may also be feeling the pressure from the state of Virginia to be rated as the most fiscally responsible state in the country. Virginia with their new democrat governor and democrats taking control of their legislative branches from the republicans have been taxing just about many things and creating rules to promote fraud. Read here Virgina gone Wild.
Illinois governor JD Pritzker can’t let this happen. Legislation has already taken money from the out state road funds and is being diverted to pay the bills for mass transit in Chicago. To give out state people the thought that Illinois cares about them, as we have documented previously with the $475 million dollars towards Rock Island county, specifically Moline for a passenger rail service that stopped running in 1978.
Taxes being proposed are quite varied and vast. Pritzker wants to do what many states have eliminated and that is to go to the progressive income tax from the current flat tax giving cause for those effected to move to another state as those with money who he is targeting have the wherewithal to just up and leave. They also want to tax retirement income which is now exempt fro state income taxes. This would be back doored through the progressive tax. But Pritzker is also trying to make a new tax on people after they leave the state. It tempts me to say get out now before it is too late.
Illinois is not allowing the new federal no tax on tips and overtime.
Add this to the many taxes that already exist plus looking at business taxes increasing. Rearranging who collects sales taxes on groceries. One of the highest state taxes on gas in the country, and charging sales tax on top of the gas tax. They will start charging taxes on Airbnb and other short term housing rentals putting them all under the hotel tax system. Smoking costs will go up again. There is a new telecommunications tax to fund a Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
There are new environmental fees and penalties. This law change will address fines for specific infractions, but does the money go to wards fixing said problems.
There is the statewide bag tax being proposed. Originally thought to be on plastic bags, this would cover plastic and paper bags. $.10 per bag in 2027, $.15 2028. $.20 for 2029. $.25 $.5 increases every year after. The alleged goal is to get people to use reusable bags instead. Good idea? Remember when there was the alleged virus and even San Francisco put a halt on using reusable bags. Why not use the current bags for making electricity?
There is the constant talk about property taxes. Chicago is jacking their property taxes upward to 200%. Please see this article on property taxes previously shared.
Many of the costs in Illinois are from their ridiculous sanctuary state and city policies and the costs of harboring illegal aliens and paying health and educations expenses. Illinois is doing this at the expense of the state citizens! In another article we will address fraud being found in Illinois.
I will admit there is a problem with the current road tax structure and EV’s. Many EV’s are heavier than many gas cars. They put additional stress on the roads. As of August 2025 EV owners are given a credit of $4000 credit to purchase then charged only an additional $100 for EV fee annually. This is afar and beyond what a gas tax would bring in, especially in Illinois. Illinois is promoting the idea of a mileage tax. This would require putting some type of tracking and recording device on the car. This device could be used to track locations. New zoning laws for building garages requires the electrical feed to be installed to allow for easy installation of charging. Why is there no technology put in place for EV’s to add a tax when charging? In station charging systems this could be done easily.
There is a need in Illinois to get their act together. There are many ways to run a state government without competing with the likes of California, New York, and now Virgina. Those who can are leaving and have left. Those who can’t or wont will be stuck with a bill until the voters reverse the control of the current idiot set!
One more note, if you get your state’s finances in a decent fiscal order, you fo not need to subsidize business and they may come and stay on their own. Check out Dutch Bros Coffee.
Chicago Population number
1950: 3,620,962 (Peak)
1960: 3,550,404
1970: 3,366,957
1990: 2,783,726
2000: 2,896,016
2010: 2,695,598
2020: 2,746,388
2023: 2,664,452
Illinois
1950: 8,712,176
1960: 10,081,158
1970: 11,113,976
1980: 11,426,518
1990: 11,430,602
2000: 12,419,293
2010: 12,830,632
2020: 12,812,508
There are approximately 550.000 illegal immigrants currently in Illinois as of 2025.
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