CHICAGO, Ill. – Some say it’s an election year gimmick to try and buy votes.
But Governor JB Pritzker says it’s a way to give as many as six million Illinois tax payers some relief at a time when they may really need it.
Income and property tax rebates passed by the legislature are going out starting this week — and while the money is in response to rising property tax bills, Pritzker says unfortunately, that’s not a state problem.
“What we’re trying to do is alleviate some of the burden that people are suffering at the local level, from local property tax levies,” said Pritzker, at a news conference Monday in Chicago. “There were a number of bills…that I think are worthy of us pursuing going forward, to make sure we’re lowering property taxes across the state.”
Pritzker says one of those is one that legislatures haven’t been able to do for years until now: reforming police and fire pensions, which are largely paid with local property tax dollars.
“What we need is comprehensive property tax reform,” said Pritzker, “so that we can bring down property taxes going forward. This should not be a problem every single year for property tax payers, the fact that property taxes are going up. This is a huge challenge for the State of Illinois.”
One, Pritzker says, that could be helped by local taxing bodies considering a lowering of their property tax rates.
He denies claims the Illinois Family Relief Plan is just an election year stunt to buy votes.
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