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Proposed by Anderson earlier this year, Senate Bill 1862 seeks
to end property taxes for state residents who have lived in and
paid on residential properties for at least three decades.
“I think it's just a fundamental idea that at some point you
have to own your own stuff,” Anderson told The Center Square.
“Right now, in America, and I don't care what state it is, you
can pay your house off, pay property taxes for 40, 50 years and
then you fall on hard times, can't pay your property taxes and
now the government can take it. At some point, you have to own
your stuff. It has to be yours and you don't owe anybody
anything.”
Anderson, R-Andalusia, said he is now focused on winning over
more support for his proposal, including from Democratic
legislators, arguing in the end, the measure stands to be in the
best interest of essentially every resident.
Illinois residents on average pay in the neighborhood of 2% or
almost $5,200 annually on real estate taxes based on a median
home value of $250,500. With taxpayers facing some of the
highest property tax rates in the country and the state being
home to long rising outmigration numbers, Anderson said
residents across the state are paying the price.
“Living in a state with some of the highest property taxes, if
we can have some hope for some people to say after 30 years you
don't have to pay anything more, not only is it right I think it
incentivizes people to stay here,” he said. “The people that
have the means, they're just not going to put up with it
anymore. When you have more people leaving because of high taxes
and the only people you're replacing them with is illegal
immigrants that pay nothing and get free healthcare we're in
trouble.”
U.S. Census Bureau data shows from July 2022 to July 2023
Illinois lost 32,826 residents, marking the 10th straight year
of decline for the state for the area.
Cosponsored by state Sens. Dave Syverson, R-Cherry Valley,
Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, and other
Republicans, SB 1862 now sits in the Assignments Committee.
Legislators are scheduled to return to the Illinois Statehouse
for six day in October.
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