Chicago City Wire

Illinois State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith's recent call for a $50 billion increase to the K-12 budget for next year could cost Cook County residents $3.1 billion in income taxes, a move that Joan McCarthy Lasonde, a Wilmette Republican in the 9th Senate District, says will cause even more people to flee the state because they are "being taxed to death."

Lasonde criticized the idea of any further tax increases saying she personally knows of three families in her neighborhood alone who have moved out of Illinois because of the state's tax burden. 

"Residents will continue to flee Illinois, but at an even faster rate," Lasonde told Chicago City Wire. "Our township has great schools, which our community is very proud of. Yes, of course, we support our schools, but we are being taxed to death. Our property taxes continue to increase as our home values continue to decrease." 

Lasonde pointed to several stories from her neighbors in the Wilmette neighborhood who say they simply can't afford to live in Illinois anymore, with one family estimating they will pay $75,000 in property taxes over the next three years. According to Lasonde, the family can't pay for their child's college due to their high taxes.

Lasonde said another neighbor moved out of the state after the 32 percent personal income tax was passed last summer because the family of five could not afford the state's taxes. 

"Currently, somebody flees Illinois every five minutes," Lasonde said. "We used to be the fifth largest state for population. Illinois recently dropped to No. 6 just behind Pennsylvania. Our tax base is fleeing," she said. 

"My first priority will be to roll back the (House Speaker Mike) Madigan 32 percent tax increase – with no reforms – that was passed last summer," Lasonde said. 

Lasonde encourages residents to email their state representatives or senators to express their concerns about future tax increases. 

"Hold your legislators accountable and responsible for their votes," she said. "In my Senate district, all three of our representatives voted yes for a 32 percent tax income with no reform. Your taxes are paying their salaries," Lasonde said. 

"We need reform," she said. "Illinois can not continue to spend money that it does not have. Illinois has a spending problem. We need to run our state like we run our households."