By: Diane Benjamin
Subscribers: I don’t think the Weekend comics posts was sent on Saturday (WordPress problem!). See it here: https://blnnews.com/2026/04/04/weekend-comic-truth/
Illinois has the highest property tax rates in the country: https://smartasset.com/taxes/illinois-property-tax-calculator
Those rates make homes and rental units unaffordable. This year they will be increasing again. The new assessed values for taxes this year have been posted on the County website, tax rates have not. When they are posted, which should be soon, that will be another story.
These increases show property owners are renting their properties from government. If the property isn’t sold, the homeowner never pockets these huge gains. If the value falls in the future, homeowners won’t be getting a refund for the property taxes they never owed.
Multiply the Net Taxable Value by 3.33 to see what the property would supposedly sell for. This is no different than taxing your 401K because the value goes up, of course no refund if the value goes down. Taxing unrealized gains is theft. Legalized theft by government, just because they can, is how Illinois operates.
Any of those government units listed on your tax bill who claimed they are keeping the tax rate the same as last year were shouting: We are raising your property taxes. Taxpayers who don’t understand the scam were expected to believe they didn’t raise taxes. EVERY rate should have gone down as assessed values increased.
The below shows the increase in taxable value for a random house in Bloomington. A 13.94% increase.
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This is a random house in Normal. The one year increase in taxable value is 10.04%.
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People are fleeing Illinois because of this theft. Obviously government is oblivious to the obvious.
The exodus will continue unless voters get smarter.
Property tax system in Illinois and localities has gone down a dark data and sustainability and public/private partnership road for a while. Only getting worse.
It’s both parties “pushing Integrations” and poorly implemented systems/infrastructure projects. This includes GIS data, reporting, tax systems, ESG scoring, property use codes/assessment system data integrity problems. Not new but getting worse.
Taxing unrealized gains (easy money flow)
Thank you for being light to this serious long time issue.
@Payments,
Looking at the word “sustainability”. The local planners and councils LOVE that word.
Climate alarmists really like it. Here is how one of Normal’s town planners put it in their “Vision 2050/Sustainability Plan” – Mercy Davison added, “it is remarkable how well the Midwest and the upper Midwest compared with other parts of the country” when projecting the impacts of climate change. Davison argued this will likely lead to an influx of “climate migrants” to this region, including in Bloomington-Normal.”
How are we going to sustain all the “climate migrants” headed to our cities? They must not have started to move here yet, since we’re still losing population, but I imagine they’ll be headed our way from Florida, Texas and Tennessee any day now. Get ready town councils, make sure your budgets are fat before we lose more taxpayers!
Doesn’t seem sustainable to me.
JB blamed it all on local taxing bodies. However, the state sets how high exemptions are and has control of many levers. Numerous bills have been introduced to give property tax relief and all have been ignored by the ruling party in Springfield.
You’re too nice in stating that government is oblivious to the obvious. IMO the ruling democrat party is just plain evil.
Now they run McLean County too!
Everything government has touched in IL has gone up. Property tax, gas prices (fuel taxes). electricity, natural gas, sales tax, etc. Prove me wrong.
I spent the better part of Sat. evening looking at home listings in TN. My relatives living there gave me the name of some towns to look at. At this point I’d even consider looking at a condo or townhouse.
Not much of a chance of Republican’s taking a foothold to stop the Democrats in this state. IL is seriously in debt for pensions and eventually the bottom will fall out and no telling what would happen. Springfield just can’t wait to take control of the income tax rates, start taxing vehicles by mileage and tax retirement income. Everything under the sun they can tax they will. Why there aren’t enough millionaires in this state to tax make a difference. Anyone of them with a brain have moved out.