Fact check: Illinois continues to fuck home owners on their property taxes to fund their government pensions.

1. Summary of the results

The data strongly supports that Illinois homeowners face an exceptionally high property tax burden, with multiple sources confirming Illinois has the second-highest property tax rate in the nation at 2.29% ^[1]. The median homeowner pays $5,055 annually, more than double the national average ^[2]. A significant portion of these taxes indeed goes toward funding government pensions, with Illinois ending fiscal year 2023 with $211 billion in unfunded state and local pension liabilities ^[2].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements need to be considered:

• Historical Trajectory: Since 1996, property tax extensions have increased 52% after inflation ^[3], while in Cook County specifically, property taxes jumped 99% between 2000 and 2019, significantly outpacing wage growth of 57% during the same period ^[4].
• Service Delivery Impact: Less than half of every additional property tax dollar goes toward improving home values or neighborhood services ^[3], suggesting a significant disconnect between tax increases and community benefits.
• Scale of the Problem: The pension liability estimates vary significantly:
• Local governments have nearly $75 billion in pension debt ^[5]
• State-level estimates range from $130 billion to $250 billion ^[6]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

While the original statement's core claim about high property taxes funding pensions is supported by the data, several nuances should be considered:

• Language and Tone: The statement's crude language oversimplifies a complex fiscal situation that has developed over many decades.
• Recent Developments: Under Governor Pritzker's administration, homeowners have seen their property taxes grow by $2,288 ^[7], indicating this is an ongoing issue rather than a sudden development.
• Systemic Nature: The problem stems from long-term structural issues in Illinois' pension system rather than current malicious intent. Taxpayers are essentially "paying more to get less" due to unsustainable pension systems ^[5], suggesting this is more a result of poor fiscal planning than deliberate "screwing over" of homeowners.