Weekend Edition | Quinn Continues ‘Millionaire Surcharge’ Push for Illinois Property Tax Relief

Illinois in Focus

Former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn continues to push for voters to approve a non-binding question on the Nov. 5 ballot to bring about a “millionaire surcharge.” Illinoisans pay the second highest property taxes in the United States, according to multiple nationwide surveys. The total amount paid annually by Illinois property tax payers is $23.2 billion, according to Quinn. With early voting ongoing, one of the advisory questions voters are being asked is whether those making more than $1 million should be taxed an additional 3% to pay for a fund for property tax relief. “The unfortunate thing is there’s no money in the property tax relief trust fund,” Quinn told reporters at a news conference in Springfield on Wednesday. “It has never been appropriated any money to give out these annual rebates.”