How do you afford the property taxes in Illinois??? (Chicago: car insurance, credit card)

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by MSchemist80

Every state in the USA has schools, parks, hospitals, roads, and bridges. Most other states manage to provide them without taxing old people out of their homes with insane property taxes and going de-facto bankrupt at the same time. This is an almost uniquely Illinois problem not being able to efficiently provide government services which has its roots in the inefficient and redundant nature of local Illinois governments and employee salaries and pensions negotiated by corrupt unions in bed with corrupt politicians.

Sorry linicx, but I agree with this person. Bottom line for us was that we wanted to stay in Illinois, but left in large part because we knew we'd never be able to pay those property taxes even all the way out in McHenry County. Property taxes here in the DFW Metroplex aren't exactly cheap, but they're cheaper than the Chicago area, and the state gives you additional breaks elsewhere.

If Illinois really wants to keep people like us who would have liked to stay, they have some work to do. It is not a fiscally attractive setup to raise a family in.

[linicx]

Yer right. There is no area near Chicago that is fiscally friendly to an average income family that wants to own a home. Richardson is outside of Dallas. The Real estate taxes are very similar to Peoria, Illinois. COL is similar when you consider house and car insurance, .utilities, gas etc.. I just gassed up at $2.50 today.

You need to remember it isn't about whether or not Illinois wants you to stay; we like you. It is about what the Chicago politicians want. One could reasonably think with 50,000,000 visitors every year Chicago could start to clean up its own pension mess, and right that sinking ship, but it never does.

[MSchemist80]

Illinois should want people to stay as many of the people that are moving out are middle-class and afluent tax payers. Many of the sales and other remote workers at the company I work at are looking to live outside the state (they don't need to be on site too often). It thus compounds the problems with these peole leaving and taking their tax dollars and economic activity with them.

[linicx]

Look, Chicago/Cook is very fluid and is always in a state of flux with people moving out, while others are moving in. Ditto business. Companies that move to Chicago do so for the benefits.. .not because the board wants to amuse a bored CEO.and CFO.

Outside of Cook County, and the counties with which it shares a border, is a wide expanse of farm and ranch land that is sprinkled with small farm towns, or the rare much larger community. These are fixed assets that feed the world. These areas are not very fluid in any sense as the land use changes very slowly from generation to generation if at all.

You cannot compare Chicago to the rest of the state. Chicago, Manhattan and LA are the greatest cities of convenience in all of America. Each supports opulence, excess, and the very best money can buy, to the extreme. And with the media created desire to live the Xtreme dream, comes reality.

Your real estate taxes support the affordable bus and trains so riders don't have to buy gasoline or own a car. The same is true of housing. More families rent than own. Renters do not paint, replace, repair or pay real estate taxes.

I am quite sure if there was the perfect balance between riders and car owners, and the perfect balance between owners and renters, the taxes would still increase. After all, it is Chicago, and the city does have an image to sell and an appetite for bigger and better eye candy to feed.

If you don't have the income to support your lifestyle, saddle up your pony and ride. But don't blame your bad luck on taxes that you probably could not afford when you bought it.
Houses are an expensive hobby of unexpected surprises.

[moderngnome]

Originally Posted by MSchemist80

Every state in the USA has schools, parks, hospitals, roads, and bridges. Most other states manage to provide them without taxing old people out of their homes with insane property taxes and going de-facto bankrupt at the same time. This is an almost uniquely Illinois problem not being able to efficiently provide government services which has its roots in the inefficient and redundant nature of local Illinois governments and employee salaries and pensions negotiated by corrupt unions in bed with corrupt politicians.

I couldn't agree more. We took a family trip to Yellowstone this summer, and drove across Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa. The ONLY state we paid tolls in was Illinois. Just another tax. Nothing to see here. (All those other states had roads!).

[Maintainschaos]

Originally Posted by moderngnome

I couldn't agree more. We took a family trip to Yellowstone this summer, and drove across Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa. The ONLY state we paid tolls in was Illinois. Just another tax. Nothing to see here. (All those other states had roads!).

Slightly over half of the states in the country have toll roads; outside of Northern Illinois, the rest of Illinois doesn't have any toll roads. Illinois also has WAY more interstates than your average state and is probably more rightfully to be labeled the crossroads of America than, say, Indiana.

[reneeh63]

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

Slightly over half of the states in the country have toll roads; outside of Northern Illinois, the rest of Illinois doesn't have any toll roads. Illinois also has WAY more interstates than your average state and is probably more rightfully to be labeled the crossroads of America than, say, Indiana.

Hahaha - you're just lucky you missed Ohio then! Toll roads are hit or miss across the country - just depends on where you're going and whether you're flexible enough to find another route - doesn't really mean that much.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

Slightly over half of the states in the country have toll roads; outside of Northern Illinois, the rest of Illinois doesn't have any toll roads. Illinois also has WAY more interstates than your average state and is probably more rightfully to be labeled the crossroads of America than, say, Indiana.

Interstates are still federally funded to a large extent.

I get it that Chicagoland is an albatross around the neck of the fiscal Illinois dream, but other states have giant metros, too. Texas has 4 of the fastest growing metros in the nation, and at least 2 of them (DFW and Houston) will likely surpass Chicagoland in population within the next 30-40 years if the current growth rates persist. Yes, it is more expensive to live here than it used to be. No, the COL is still not anywhere near as high as it is in Illinois. Salaries are similar. No state income tax in TX. Property tax is less here. Rent is less here, especially for suburban housing. Gas is DRASTICALLY less here. Groceries are similar. When we lived in McHenry we had to pay 25 bucks to have City of McHenry stickers on our vehicles, ASIDE from the plate tags. They said that money went to police and schools, too. Not here. Our sons school here did not demand $200 a year from us for textbooks like the one in McHenry did. Why did they need an extra $200, aren't the school fees supposed to come from all the taxes?

However it happened, Illinois is a fiscal nightmare, and it is keeping the state down in correlation with keeping people from leaving. linicx said it best........Don't live there if you can't afford to, just saddle up. So we saddled up.

Check this out. Look who's holding up the other 50.
2015

[Maintainschaos]

Originally Posted by Tyryztoll

Interstates are still federally funded to a large extent.

I get it that Chicagoland is an albatross around the neck of the fiscal Illinois dream, but other states have giant metros, too. Texas has 4 of the fastest growing metros in the nation, and at least 2 of them (DFW and Houston) will likely surpass Chicagoland in population within the next 30-40 years if the current growth rates persist. Yes, it is more expensive to live here than it used to be. No, the COL is still not anywhere near as high as it is in Illinois. Salaries are similar. No state income tax in TX. Property tax is less here. Rent is less here, especially for suburban housing. Gas is DRASTICALLY less here. Groceries are similar. When we lived in McHenry we had to pay 25 bucks to have City of McHenry stickers on our vehicles, ASIDE from the plate tags. They said that money went to police and schools, too. Not here. Our sons school here did not demand $200 a year from us for textbooks like the one in McHenry did. Why did they need an extra $200, aren't the school fees supposed to come from all the taxes?

However it happened, Illinois is a fiscal nightmare, and it is keeping the state down in correlation with keeping people from leaving. linicx said it best........Don't live there if you can't afford to, just saddle up. So we saddled up.

Check this out. Look who's holding up the other 50.
2015

Not sure what all of this has to do with the fact that there are toll roads in more than half of the U.S.? Illinois has to maintain nearly the same mileage of interstates as all of the state of California, and Illinois also has some of the busiest expressways in the nation around Chicago. Federal funding and gas taxes do not cover it all, therefore it has to come from somewhere.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

Not sure what all of this has to do with the fact that there are toll roads in more than half of the U.S.? Illinois has to maintain nearly the same mileage of interstates as all of the state of California, and Illinois also has some of the busiest expressways in the nation around Chicago. Federal funding and gas taxes do not cover it all, therefore it has to come from somewhere.

Texas has to maintain over 1,000 more miles of interstate than Illinois does, and has four major U.S. metros, as opposed to Illinois' one. Houston's traffic in particular has been ranked worse than Chicago's on many occasions.


https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/table3.htm

The interstate/toll argument as justification for Illinois' tax burden does not hold water.