Illinois property taxes

At a bill signing event in Springfield, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner continued to say House Speaker Michael Madigan should be prosecuted. 

Last week the governor said he would help fund the campaign of Republican attorney general nominee Erika Harold, hoping she could prosecute Madigan. But, for days, the Republican governor has not said what he thinks Madigan has done wrong. 

That's until now – sort of. 

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner is in Japan to promote the state’s universities and transportation infrastructure in hopes of attracting businesses.

Rauner had repeatedly asserted that the state’s political system is broken - and that hurts the state’s business climate. Speaking from Tokyo last night, Rauner said one Japanese company looking to grow in Illinois considers local property taxes to be a hindrance.

It’s a common complaint: “Illinois has the worst property taxes in the United States.”

That may be great for making political hay, but it isn’t entirely true – according to a recent study by WalletHub.com of all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Illinois ranked 50th in that study with an effective average annual property tax rate of 2.3 percent. But that’s one notch above New Jersey, which imposes an average effective property tax rate of 2.35 percent.