03/30/2026
Why are your property taxes so high? The Cook County Treasurer did a study. The answer? Local governmental units (schools, towns, park districts, etc.) are spending "like drunken sailors" and evading the 5% or less tax cap a state law put in place years ago. The result? An extra $10 billion or so in property taxes YOU have to pay. The fix? Elect local government officials on your school, city, and county levels that will lower their tax levies and excise waste, fraud, and abuse. That is the only way to reduce property taxes.
The county’s property tax levy has increased from $6.8 billion in 1995 to $19.2 billion in 2024, or twice the rate of inflation, according to a new report from Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ office. If it had remained on track with inflation, it would be closer to $10.1 billion.
