New Jersey, Illinois finish last in fiscal health in new study

[Geee]

Watchdog.Org

New Jersey and Illinois rank poorly in a new study of fiscal health among the 50 states.
The analysis, conducted by the Pew Charitable Trusts, shows Illinois as 49th and New Jersey as 50th in terms of expenses outpacing revenues during the years 2002 to 2016.
“Illinois’s revenue was 94.2 percent of expenses over that time period,” said Matt McKillop, an officer with Pew’s “States’ Fiscal Health” project. “The only state with a smaller percentage during that time period was New Jersey.”

Illinois and New Jersey also were the only two states to run annual deficits in each of the last 15 years.

[Geee]

Proposed temporary property tax freeze 'watered down' by exemptions

Illinois lawmakers this week could get a chance to freeze some of Illinois' high property taxes, but a freeze won't bring down the already high burden in some areas.
Illinois has the second highest property tax burden in the country behind New Jersey. There have been proposals over the years for a permanent freeze, a four-year freeze, a freeze with required referenda to increase or decrease property taxes and more, but none have been successful.
A House committee last week approved an amendment to Senate Bill 851 that would bring about a two-year property tax freeze for Cook and a handful of collar counties and allow for the rest of the state to freeze property taxes through voter referendum.