Vote "NO" on November 8 on Frankfort and Will County property Tax Hike

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On the November ballot, Frankfort and Will County have not one but two referenda proposing property tax increases.

Illinois is already burdened with the second highest property taxes in the country, outdone only by New Jersey. This fact alone should put an end to any debate anywhere in Illinois about increasing property taxes—unless it’s the express goal of Illinois taxpayers to unseat New Jersey and pay the highest property taxes in the nation. Factor in that the nation’s economy is in recession, inflation is the worst in 40 years, and gas prices are at historic highs, and it seems almost an affront to Frankfort and Will County taxpayers that either of these proposals for new taxes are on the ballot at all this November.

Yet there they are—so they must be directly confronted and soundly defeated.

Frankfort is asking residents for a property tax increase in order to expand Park District spending by an astronomical 65%! Additionally, Will County is asking residents to approve an entirely new property tax to create something called a “mental health board.” In other words, Will County wants to create an entirely new bureaucratic body. And you’re average Illinois Middle-Schooler knows exactly where that leads: to future requests for more taxes to feed the bloating bureaucracy. As Illinois residents, we’ve all seen this predictable movie before. And it’s beyond tiresome at this point. It’s insulting and offensive.

Given Illinois’ already inordinate tax burdens, especially in Chicago and the collar counties, the default position of every taxpayer should be to oppose any and all new taxes or tax increases on principle. It’s obvious to anyone paying attention that Illinois’ chronic addiction to new and steadily rising taxes is making our state increasingly unattractive and unbearable to businesses and even life-long residents, who are abandoning the state by the tens of thousands every year, matching similar mass exoduses from California and New York.

In 2020—despite a well-funded and slickly-produced campaign for a so-called “Fair-Tax”—Illinois voters spoke emphatically with a unified voice, decisively rejecting Governor Pritzker’s attempt to impose a Graduated Income Tax on Illinois taxpayers. This high-profile defeat sent a clear message to Pritzker and Springfield that Illinois voters were fed up with taxes.

This November, Frankfort and Will County voters must send the same clear message once again—this time to tax collectors much closer to home. I’m urging all Frankfort and Will County residents to take a firm, principled, and informed stand against these proposed property tax increases.

Vote “No” on the Frankfort Park District and Will County Tax Referenda!

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