“I think it starts with pressure from people,” Sharkey told The
Center Square. “There's a few things that can influence
lawmakers decisions, special interests, campaign donations, but
if you put enough pressure on them and it gets smaller by
population each person's voice matters more.”
As it is, a new Tax Foundation study details how Illinois
shoppers now pay the seventh highest sales tax rate in the
country as combined state and average local sales tax now total
10.25%. Sharkey adds the state’s rising sale tax rate also ranks
as the highest among most populous states, resulting in a
growing number of Chicago-area shoppers electing to head for
other parts of the state whenever they think of making major
purchases.
“It would be one thing if Illinois was one of the highest sales
taxes in the country on its own, but we also have the nation's
second highest property taxes, second highest corporate income
taxes,” he said. “The combination of all the different taxes
Illinoisans pay show that their burden overall really takes a
chunk of change out of their dollars.”
Illinois also now stands as just one of 13 states to still
charge a grocery tax, with the 1% statewide levy not officially
slated to come off the books until Jan. 1, 2026.
Sharkey argues the state’s high property taxes also go a long
way toward making the state a less attractive place to be for an
increasing number of families, and in terms of making the burden
of those who remain even heavier.
“People who leave Illinois do so for financial reasons; they do
it to go to other states so their dollars will go further,” he
said. “The question is will lawmakers react to this and pass
policies that are pro taxpayer and get people to stay here and
plant roots.”
In the meantime, Sharkey frets there’s still a price for every
resident to continue paying.
“As more and more people choose to live in another state, the
issue only gets worse, he said. “Imagine if you're at a
restaurant with friends and one person decided to dine and dash.
The bill gets bigger for everybody who stays and the people who
choose to stay are penalized more and more by public decisions
made every day.”
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