Lawsuit abuse adds to tax burden

Tax Day has become a national day of protest as thousands of Americans voice their concern about the tax and spend policies. In Illinois, lawmakers added fuel to the fire by passing a massive income tax hike.

But there is more to the overall tax burden in Cook County than merely what is in the tax code. Area residents also pay a hidden tax for the cost of the culture of litigation that plagues our state.

The cost of lawsuit abuse is built into the cost of every item consumers purchase as a “hidden consumption tax.” A recent report from Towers Watson shows how every person in the country pays a “lawsuit tax” of $808 per year.

According to a recent report, Cook County is ranked as the nation’s fifth-worst judicial hellhole. The lack of fairness in local courts not only continues to add to the overall tax burden, but the litigation climate in Cook County is one reason Chicago and Cook County government frequently are the targets of litigation.

The Cook County Board has paid out a whopping $312 million in litigation-related expenses since 2005, and the city of Chicago paid out nearly $59 million in litigation expenses last year alone. Money spent on litigation is money that could be better spent on vital city services.

If local leaders were not so complacent when it comes to Cook County’s litigation climate, perhaps taxpayers would not have to continue to prop up the city and county governments with even more of their hard-earned money.

Travis Akin

Executive director

Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch

Marion