Instead of Raising Property Taxes (Chicago: sale, foreclosure, how much)

[ipkl07]

Instead of raising property taxes sending thousands packing and moving for other places how about raising taxes on unhealthy items like cigarettes etc maybe lottery tickets. I don't think Chicago understands raising property taxes is about the last thing you want to do. Unless Chicago wants people to leave, which maybe they do by raising property taxes 6 times in 7 years. That be pretty clear to me the City wants me to live else where. I think people see the City will never understand that and get fed up and leave from what I see.

[OKParker]

Maybe soft drinks?

[bobsell]

How about cutting all the ghost payrollers and cronies on the payrolls? Cut the patronage jobs?

Then cut the spending being funneled to cronies.

Naah, won't happen. Crony enrichment at everyone else's expense is government policy here.

[deeman7]

Last I checked a pack of cigarettes in Chicago is over $10. They already thought of that. If it can be taxed, you bet Chicago has taxed it.

[MSchemist80]

Yea as if taxing Marijuana and Gambling is going to generate >$200E9 needed to make this state solvent again. I try to explain to people the state has no possible way of extracting that much money. The more they raise taxes the more the people will move out and revolt and I wouldn't be surprised if at some point we start seeing politicians meeting violent and bloody ends if they continue to threaten peoples' homes.

[OyCrumbler]

Originally Posted by MSchemist80

Yea as if taxing Marijuana and Gambling is going to generate >$200E9 needed to make this state solvent again. I try to explain to people the state has no possible way of extracting that much money. The more they raise taxes the more the people will move out and revolt and I wouldn't be surprised if at some point we start seeing politicians meeting violent and bloody ends if they continue to threaten peoples' homes.

Every little bit helps and marijuana can actually raise funds on several levels aside from just the point of sale tax. There's the business and income tax of people working and investing in the industry. If legalized, Illinois would also be at the hub of very populated region surrounded by no other states that have legalized and would generated a good profit from visitors and vacationers. You'd also be crashing a revenue source for people who are involved with other illegal activities.

[MSchemist80]

Just great Chicago can be the pot capital of the Midwest. Hey it will take people's minds of the fact that they just lost their home to property tax foreclosure and are living in the streets.

[OyCrumbler]

Originally Posted by MSchemist80

Just great Chicago can be the pot capital of the Midwest. Hey it will take people's minds of the fact that they just lost their home to property tax foreclosure and are living in the streets.

I'm not seeing the causality. If anything, any kind of added surplus would be a greater argument for not increasing or having smaller increases for property taxes. What in your head made these mutually exclusive?

Certainly there are other reasonable steps that can or should be taken in terms of reducing wasteful government expenditure or trying to optimize tax receipts versus government expenditure (having throngs of people losing their homes to property tax foreclosure and living in the streets is almost certainly not going to be optimal for many, many reasons), but why one measure or reform needs to preclude others when they don't have a strong relationship to each other is just an overall stupid argument, isn't it?

[Berteau]

Let's see your analysis on how much revenue your options generate compared to property taxes. I'm waiting....

[bobsell]

Originally Posted by OyCrumbler

Every little bit helps

Actually, it doesn't.

The minute the politicians in this state get a new revenue stream, it will immediately be funneled to themselves and their cronies.

The problem is NEVER that there is insufficient revenue. The problem is that our politicians are spending out of control to benefit themselves and their cronies at everyone else's expense.

When the lottery first came out, it made $100 million to the schools. They took that $100 million from the lottery and put in the school fund. But the state THEN took $100 million they were going to give the school fund from the general fund and funneled it to cronies, so the net effect was zero. As the amount from the lottery goes up, they adjust the general fund transfer down, and funnel even more money to cronies.