Why Are the Taxes So High in This State? (Chicago: insurance, house)

[bellypotamus]

We just moved here to Illinois from Indiana because of my husband losing his job and getting one over here.(His job is in Rantoul to be exact...but I DON'T want to live in Rantoul!) We are suffering from great sticker shock on the price of homes (especially newer ones) and the taxes here are astronomical here in Champaign county area. Can anyone explain this to me? We lived in a very nice area in Indy (Hamilton County) and the homes were much more reasonably priced, and the taxes were much lower than here. I just don't get it! Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[HOWELL_STREET]

Dear Friend:

There are many reasons why Illinois taxes are higher than those in Indiana. However, in general, taxes are used to pay for the services that 'you' (anyone as a resident) receives. In the city of Chicago or any other large city, there is so much trucking and so much population density - - that higher taxes have to be collected to pay for all of this. Worn out roads, etc. Also keep in mind that Chicago was once the home of Al Capone. From this statement, you can perhaps extrapolate as to what I might mean.
In the past, I have written an 'OP' entitled something like "The Bible Belt Starts In Effingham, Illinois'. So please view the comments on that original post of the "Illinois" Forum site.
In short, if your family is stuck in the Rantoul area for employment - - then find a 'suburb' of Rantoul that is reminiscent of the characteristics of "The Bible Belt". However, choose such a community that is close enough in driving to employment in Rantoul.

Best Regards,

Carter Glass,
Wheaton, IL &
Cortland, IL

[gardener34]

Yes Illinois property taxes are high. Gas taxes are high. Insurance is higher in metro areas. We do have more jobs than the surrounding states though. Thus the reason people still live here. Many people look to retire to another state though because of these high taxes.

[HOWELL_STREET]

Dear Friend:

It seems that you are committed to Rantoul, Illinois for employment. So why not consider commuting from the edge of Indiana? Perhaps in a chosen town along Indiana routhe 63? Such towns might be West Lebaonon, Marshfield and others? That traveling distance to the edge of Indiana doesn't seem that far.
Another possible reason for lower Indiana taxes - - and such an idea might be a wild card. However, consider all of the Amish folks living in Indiana? With their style of living, they do not require much property tax use by the state. At this moment, I don't know of any Amish oriented towns in Illinois. However we do have a few Mennanites communities.
So how about giving us some of your 'thoughts' about your expectations, etc.?

Carter Glass

[kkemper]

Originally Posted by HOWELL_STREET

Dear Friend:

It seems that you are committed to Rantoul, Illinois for employment. So why not consider commuting from the edge of Indiana? Perhaps in a chosen town along Indiana routhe 63? Such towns might be West Lebaonon, Marshfield and others? That traveling distance to the edge of Indiana doesn't seem that far.
Another possible reason for lower Indiana taxes - - and such an idea might be a wild card. However, consider all of the Amish folks living in Indiana? With their style of living, they do not require much property tax use by the state. At this moment, I don't know of any Amish oriented towns in Illinois. However we do have a few Mennanites communities.
So how about giving us some of your 'thoughts' about your expectations, etc.?

Carter Glass

Isn't Arthur, Illinois a large Amish community or are they considered Mennonites? I always thought they were Amish.

[2beamissourian]

Illinois is curupt thats why the taxes are high .......go to Wisconsin or any other state see the roads even the back roads and tell me how come the taxes there are being put to use?

Political change is what taxes are for in ILlinois

[HOWELL_STREET]

Yes, dear friend, you could be correct about Arthur, Illinois. Frankly, I can't determine the difference between Amish and Mennonites. However, I still believe that in either case, those good folks are more self-sufficient than non - Amish people. I wish I were as self - sufficient as they are. If you have an interest, Bethany House Publishers (Bloomington, MN) has a whole series about the Amish people. One such very interesting reading book is titled "The Postcard" and the entire series of books is written by author Beverly Lewis. You can find these very fascinating books even in Wal - Mart.

Best Regards,

Carter Glass

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by bellypotamus

We are suffering from great sticker shock on the price of homes (especially newer ones) and the taxes here are astronomical here in Champaign county area.

Do yourself a favor and dont even look at the home prices in Cook, DuPage, Kane or Lake Counties. Youd probably keel over dead, instantly, from shock.

[Frank the Tank]

Here's the real answer to the OP's question: public schools in Illinois are mainly funded by local property taxes instead of the state - that's the single largest item you'll find on any Illinois property tax bill. Places such as Indiana have much more funding for public schools at the state level, so those costs aren't passed on as much to property tax bills.

I'm not sure what Carter's reference to Chicago being the home to Al Capone has anything to do with the topic, though. I don't want to get too far off topic, but let's just say that the perception that the Chicago area takes more money from the state in terms of services is pretty much completely wrong - it's the Chicago area with its flush source of revenues (through more companies and higher incomes) that are providing more to the rest of the state on a per capita basis.

[Manigault]

Look at it this way: You are accessing the offer of an employer in IL, said employer supported by the state's infrastructure, which includes roads, schools, colleges and its system of employment security. Much of this costs money and a lot more then less industrialized states; including Indiana.