Chicago property taxes not close to Southland’s

All the whining by Chicago homeowners about the city’s proposed property tax hike ought to be greeted with belly laughs in the Southland.

For decades, Chicago has had the lowest property tax rates in Cook County. Even if Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposed $500 million tax increase is approved by the City Council, Chicago’s rates would remain far lower than any south suburb, including places such as Ford Heights and Robbins, which are among the poorest municipalities in America.

None of this should be news to regular readers of this column. I’ve spent more than 20 years trying to explain how the property tax system in Illinois has resulted in the underfunding of public education, destroyed the commercial tax base in the southeast suburbs and confused homeowners who try to determine how their tax bills are calculated…Please click here to read Phil Kadner’s column in the Tribune/Southtown Star.