The Illinois Republican Party slammed Democratic candidate for governor J.B. Pritzker for not taking a harsh stance against Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios and House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) in the wake of a damning report by the Chicago Tribune and ProPublica Illinois on the county's tax assessment system.
"J.B. Pritzker refuses to criticize Joe Berrios because without Berrios, Pritzker and Madigan can't profit from their corrupt property tax racket,” Illinois Republican Party spokesman Aaron DeGroot said in a statement.
According to the Tribune and ProPublica report, the Cook County Assessor's Office under the leadership of Berrios has consistently failed to properly reassess high-value properties and put a higher tax burden on small-business owners. The report also alleges that this system has benefited property tax attorneys, like Madigan, who guide wealthy property owners through appeals. Pritzker himself was swept up in the assessment issue after gaining $230,000 in tax breaks for a mansion he called "uninhabitable."
JB Pritzker
| Courtesy of Linkedin
“Pritzker needs Berrios' support to secure huge property tax breaks for himself and make it past the upcoming primary,” DeGroot said in his statement. “Berrios needs Pritzker to dole out campaign cash and work hand-in-hand with Madigan in Springfield. It's a racket that would make even the most corrupt politicians blush."
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