Pritzker, GOP leaders divided on property tax reform

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Illinois House Republicans are calling on their Democratic colleagues to help them pass property tax reforms before session ends next month. However, top Illinois Democrats and Republicans are divided on who should be responsible for lowering property taxes.

Gov. JB Pritzker said property taxes are determined by local bodies of government, such as school boards, park boards, library boards and municipalities.

"I think people sometimes get confused," Pritzker said Monday. "I know the Republican party in Illinois is quite confused and thinks this is a state issue when it is actually a local issue."

The largest chunk of your property tax bill goes to local schools. Pritzker noted the property tax issue started when Illinois failed to provide enough funding to schools each year.

Illinois met 24% of school funding needs before Pritzker took office, and the state is now providing 40% of the funding to alleviate the burden on local taxpayers. Pritzker said school boards need to take the hint and make their own changes.

"We Republicans are trying to do our job, and we are certainly not passing the blame to locals," said House GOP Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna). "We blame you, your policies and your priorities. We are also not the ones proposing tax hikes to fund out-of-control spending and out-of-touch priorities."

Republicans argue lawmakers should be able to pass property tax reform for Illinoisans if Democrats are already planning to provide tax relief to the Chicago Bears. They also stress that Pritzker eliminated the property tax relief grant program that helped schools reduce tax levies.

Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) told reporters Wednesday he wants to put the program back in place.

"Give it to school districts on a per-pupil basis evenly throughout the entire state," Ugaste said. "For every $1 they receive, they need to lower property taxes by $1."

Pritzker knows Democrats have also proposed a millionaire's tax to lower taxes for other Illinoisans. Yet he said no single plan will address the issue, since it needs to be tackled from multiple angles.

"At this point, if we can just keep property taxes from going up, that would be a huge benefit to people across the state," Pritzker said. "Instead, every year, it seems, property taxes keep going up and up and up."

Meanwhile, the Illinois Federation of Teachers said Pritzker can't blame school districts for attempting to survive his "inability" to fully fund public education. IFT Vice President Cyndi Oberle-Dahm said Springfield owes students over $6 billion.

"There's no excuse," Oberle-Dahm said. "Illinois has the fifth-largest economy and one of the most unfair tax systems in the nation. The top 5% just got nearly $7 billion in tax breaks put back in their pocket from President Donald Trump."

IFT leaders also said a lack of school funding means students go without hot meals and schools cut social workers, arts, music and extracurriculars.

The Illinois Federation of Teachers and other Illinois Revenue Alliance members called for a billionaire tax in February. They note that a billionaire wealth tax could generate $840 million for the state, while closing corporate tax loopholes would generate $175 million.

The Illinois House returns to Springfield next Tuesday, while the Senate is scheduled back at the Capitol April 14.