Tap a source to read it yourself. How we check our facts
Property tax
Most of a property tax bill is set locally, by school districts, the county, cities and townships. Springfield still shapes it: through how much of school costs the state pays, the mandates it hands down, and the pension costs that land on local budgets. Illinois leans on property taxes for its schools more than almost any state: 45% of K-12 money here comes from property taxes, against 27% nationally (U.S. Census Bureau, FY2024).
Tax Foundation, 2024 American Community Survey data: property taxes paid as a share of owner-occupied home value. Illinois is tied with New Jersey for the highest in the country. Source
What that means for one house, as our own arithmetic: on a $150,000 home, a 1.77% rate is about $2,655 a year. At Indiana's typical 0.76%, the same house would pay about $1,140.
Relief that was promised
A state Property Tax Relief Task Force was created in August 2019 (Public Act 101-0181) with a report due by the end of that year. The draft was never adopted as a final report. Source: WJBC, Jan 7, 2020; Illinois Municipal League.
Relief that came
The 2022 budget paid a one-time property tax rebate of up to $300 per household, about $520 million in all. Source: WIFR, Apr 20, 2022.
The whole tax bill
Tax Foundation tax burden study, calendar year 2022, the latest published. About $8,390 per person in Illinois against about $5,030 in Indiana. Source
On the Tax Foundation's 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index, which scores how a state's tax code is built rather than how much it collects, Illinois ranks 38th of 50. Indiana ranks 10th. Source: Tax Foundation, 2026 index.
Income tax
- 2011
The income tax goes from 3% to 5%, passed in January and described as temporary through 2014. Source: Civic Federation.
- 2015
The increase partly expires on January 1, and the rate falls to 3.75%. Source: Civic Federation.
- 2017
On July 6 the House overrides the governor's veto, 71 to 42, and the rate becomes 4.95%. Source: Chicago Sun-Times.
- 2020
Voters reject the graduated income tax amendment, 53.3% no to 46.7% yes. Source: Ballotpedia; WTTW.
Tax Foundation, state individual income tax rates, 2026. Illinois has held 4.95% since 2017. Source
The gas tax, and the pause
In 2019 the state motor fuel tax doubled, from 19 cents to 38 cents a gallon on July 1, as part of the Rebuild Illinois capital plan (Public Act 101-0032). The same law raises it automatically each July 1 with inflation, with no new vote. Source: Illinois Department of Revenue; ABC7, 2019.
| Period | State motor fuel tax on gasoline |
|---|---|
| Before July 1, 2019 | 19.0¢ |
| July 1, 2019 | 38.0¢ |
| July 2023 to June 2024 | 45.4¢ |
| July 2024 to June 2025 | 47.0¢ |
| July 1, 2025 to Dec 31, 2026 | 48.3¢ |
| January 1, 2027 | the paused inflation increase takes effect |
Illinois Department of Revenue motor fuel tax rates. Source
The 2026 increase was paused, not canceled. Public Act 104-0468, signed June 16, 2026, suspended the July 1, 2026 inflation increase for six months, through December 31, 2026. The rate holds at 48.3 cents until then, and the increase takes effect January 1, 2027, two months after the election and the same day the new tolls start. Source: Illinois Department of Revenue, Bulletin FY 2026-23.
Counting every state tax and fee on a gallon, not only the motor fuel tax, the Tax Foundation puts Illinois at 70.4 cents a gallon in July 2026, the 2nd highest in the country. That is the tax, not the pump price. Source: Tax Foundation. I-55 through Logan County is not a toll road, but every gallon bought here pays the state gas tax.
Other taxes and fees since 2019
- 2019
The capital package that doubled the gas tax also raised the cigarette tax $1, to $2.98 a pack; raised vehicle registration from $101 to $151; and added a state parking tax of 6% to 9%. Source: Chicago Sun-Times, June 28, 2019.
- 2024
The FY2025 budget added about $1.1 billion in revenue, including a cap on corporate loss deductions and a higher sports-betting tax. It repealed the state's 1% grocery tax starting in 2026 and let cities and counties impose their own without a referendum. Source: Capitol News Illinois, June 5, 2024.
- 2025
The FY2026 budget included $709 million in tax and fee increases, among them a higher tax on tobacco and vape products and a higher telecom tax. Source: Capitol News Illinois, June 16, 2025.
- 2025
The Chicago-area transit law raised the regional RTA sales tax by a quarter point and redirected about $860 million a year of the sales tax on motor fuel from roads to transit. Source: Capitol News Illinois, Dec 16, 2025.
- 2026
The FY2027 budget added new business taxes, including a social media fee (about $200 million) and a lower cap on corporate loss deductions (about $300 million). Republican leaders put the total at about $800 million. Source: Capitol News Illinois, June 16, 2026.
Fair is fair: the 4.95% income tax rate has not gone up since 2017 (Tax Foundation), and the state's 1% grocery tax ended in January 2026 (Capitol News Illinois). Most of the recent increases fall on businesses, gambling, tobacco and fuel, which still reach families through prices.
More issues
All the issues · Why vote Republican · How we check our facts
Springfield's choices land on Logan County.
Every race on the ballot counts, from the County Board to the Governor. Vote early at the Courthouse, Room 20, or on November 3.