Trial shows risk of heavy reliance on local taxes

The evidence being presented in the Burke trial paints a picture of a politician who is also a member of a law firm heavily involved with appeals of property assessments. This was also the situation with Mike Madigan. This exhibits the significant corruption that is spawned by the reliance of local Illinois governments on high property taxes.

With so much money at stake and so many local government entities involved throughout the state, my mind reels at how much corruption and unfairness might actually be happening as a result of this decentralized taxing. The possibility of corruption between and among entities such as township assessors, boards of review and appeal attorneys fueled by all the money at stake makes this a situation that is very hard to trust.

There certainly are strong incentives for bribery, patronage and other shenanigans. This argues for the amount of taxes collected via taxing property should be greatly curtailed. By far the largest portion of property taxes goes toward funding public schools. Taxing income at the state level seems a much better approach.

It would curtail the incentives for all the corruption in the assessment and taxing of property. It should also result in more even educational opportunity throughout the state. Funding schools locally via property taxes has resulted in much disparity in educational opportunity and has systematized that disparity.

John Captain

Antioch