A new survey by the financial site WalletHub says Illinoisans have the heftiest state and local tax burden in the country.
The survey says households here spend 14.89 percent of annual earnings on state and local taxes. That’s on top of federal taxes.
Illinois ranked behind Connecticut, Nebraska, New York, and Rhode Island. The state with the lowest overall state and local tax burden was Alaska, followed by Delaware, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming.
“This isn’t a surprise, but it’s a real disappointment,” NFIB State Director Mark Grant said. “Congress recently passed historic tax legislation that eases the burden on families and entrepreneurs, but Illinois’ high tax rates make it hard for small businesses to expand and create jobs.
“Illinois government has put us billions of dollars in debt via an uncontrolled spending spree for decades, yet the top three Democratic primary candidates for governor admit they want more programs and to raise Illinoisan’s taxes even more,” Grant said. “What are they thinking?”