TheWindyCity-Realist

**Illinois has the highest combined state and local tax in the nation at 16.48% of median household income, according to WalletHub. The median household in Illinois pays $13,099 in state and local taxes per year. This is over 50% more than the national average state and local tax rate of 10.92%. This means the average Illinoisan household sacrifices an additional $4,472 per year in taxes than it would if it paid only the national average combined state and local tax rate. **Illinois has had the nation’s lowest bond rating for the past 13 years, according to all 3 major bond rating companies. This is the longest such streak of failure in American history. **Illinois’ Bond Rating is much worse than all other states. Illinois’s bond rating across all three bond agencies is 2-3 levels worse than the next worst state(s). This costs Illinois residents billions in additional bond interest. **Illinois is the only state with more than $100 billion in unfunded state pension debt, totaling $145.5 billion, which is 62 percent higher than California, the second-worst state. If 2025 Democratic pension sweeteners adding $76 billion are enacted, Illinois’ pension debt would rise to roughly $221.5 billion. That would put Illinois at about 147 percent higher than California, widening an already nation-leading gap while exposing local pension systems to similar risk. **Illinois ranks 50th out of 50 states for financial transparency.The 2025 transparency score, according to Truth in Accounting, flags chronic problems such as late financial reports and recurring audit issues, signaling a government that fails to provide timely and reliable information to taxpayers. When basic financial disclosure breaks down, accountability collapses, and Illinoisans are left paying the price for a system that hides its true fiscal condition. Pritzker is a liar, and he's running the entire State into the ground... Read the rest here, it get's even worse. americansforprosperity.org/p…