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Illinois' Tax Freedom Day, the day workers have earned enough to cover their
federal, state and local tax bills, is Monday.
Travis Akin, executive director of Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch, says part of
the blame is the state's judicial hellhole.
| JACKPOT JUSTICE HAS A PRICE: Akin says Illinois' hellholes hike
the hidden lawsuit tax. |
"The hidden lawsuit tax," Akin explained, is an estimate of the cost of what it
costs taxpayers to litigate the thousands of cases that go through Illinois'
courts each year. "The latest figure is $857 per person, per year," he said. Akin said taxpayers see their property tax bill each year, and they notice when
more money is taken out of their paychecks. But taxpayers don't see the true
cost of the courts.
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"These are the costs that are built into the price of goods and
services," Akin said. "When a company is sued, they don't absorb
those costs. Just like when we raise taxes on businesses, those
costs are passed along."
Akin said Illinois' judicial hellholes — Madison County, St.
Clair County and Cook County — do nothing to trim the cost of the
judicial system. Akin's group has long pushed for tort reform and is critical of what
it calls jackpot justice in Illinois and across the country. Illinois taxpayers are the seventh to the last in the nation to
reach Tax Freedom Day. New Jersey has the latest Tax Freedom Day,
May 9.
[This
article courtesy of
Illinois Watchdog.]
Contact Benjamin Yount at
Ben@IllinoisWatchdog.org and find
him on Twitter: @BenYount.
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