South Cook News

Sen. Darren Bailey, a GOP candidate for governor, was one of the original backers of a campaign that would see property tax rates capped at 1%.

Bailey supported a “hard cap” on property taxes due to out-of-control local property tax rates in parts of the state.

Simple property tax cap rates have been introduced in states like Indiana and California, aimed at decreasing increasingly unaffordable property tax rates, Prairie State Wire reported.

Bailey reiterated that stance in regard to south Cook County’s property tax rates where in some places the effective tax rate is nearly 60%.  

“How many more tax increases can working families in Cook County afford? These families deserve a governor who will stand up to the Cook County political machine and fight for them,” Bailey said. “A Bailey administration will stand up for working families and put an end to the corruption and the out-of-control taxes that have plagued Cook County and all of Illinois for decades.”

Bailey said high taxes do not have to be the norm.

“Voters need to ask what they are getting with these high taxes. Does Cook County have the best roads in the state? Are the schools in south Cook County the best in the region? Are you getting the kind of services commensurate with the high taxes you are paying?" Bailey said. "I see a lot of political insiders getting rich, but the average taxpayers are not getting anything close to the high taxes they are paying. There is a better way, but it starts with new leadership that will reform Springfield, fight for working families and demand a new direction for Illinois."

Illinois' property tax burden has risen by 76% since 1990 and has grown by more than three times that of median household incomes.

The state’s property tax rate is the second highest in the nation after New Jersey, according to Illinois Policy.