A report notes Illinois has endured 70 tax and fee hikes in 15 years, and a large share of them came after Governor Pritzker took office. Analysis shows that 49 separate tax and fee increases since Pritzker became governor in 2019. Personally, that number seems low, especially to anyone living and paying bills here.

A prior breakdown counted at least 24 tax and fee hikes early in his term, long before the newest wave of taxes. The latest budget (FY 2026) has hundreds of millions in new taxes:
 — Higher taxes on tobacco and vaping products
 — Increased telecom taxes
 — New business taxes, including on companies headquartered out of state
This budget adds about $709 million in new government income, much of it from working families and small businesses.

Pritzker doubled gas taxes shortly after winning office, then established a permanent escalator tied to inflation. This means automatic tax increases every year without lawmakers oversight. Supposedly these taxes were for infrastructure, but it is the opinion of your truly that Illinois roads now resemble Third World runways. There’s been little improvement

Counting tax hikes Is hard and that’s part of the problem. A tax hike can mean a new tax, a higher tax, a broadened tax base, or a “fee” that isn’t called a tax. Politicians exploit definitions on purpose. Many of the increases are hidden. Fuel taxes rise automatically every year. Sin taxes go up multiple times. Do we count each adjustment?

Why does Illinois not maintain a clear public ledger showing the total number of tax actions during the governors term. Lack of accountability makes it easier to keep taking more. Politicians pass a fee instead of a tax and tell us it’s something different. They think we won’t notice. A back-door tax is still a tax.

Most credible estimates that 40–50 tax and fee increases between 2019 and 2025 that perhaps should be eliminated, as well as comprehensive counts that include automatic increases and broadened taxes – up to 70 over the last 15 years.

But instead, the list keeps growing: There are new taxes on businesses, new sin taxes, higher telecom bills and now, as of December 1, a tax on paint because suddenly the state claims we need to pay for “paint disposal programs.” Feels like another excuse to extract more money.

There is no clear accounting of how much more we are going to pay. Do Illinois residents likes this? This one doesn’t.

We the people must demand transparency such as daily online reporting of state income and expenses; public tracking of every new tax and fee increase and an independent auditing of how revenue is spent

As long as Illinois voters, especially those in Chicago, continue electing leaders who believe bigger government is better, tax hikes are the solution to everything, law enforcement is expendable and political insiders deserve endless perks then nothing changes. The burden keeps getting heavier on the workers, families, and small businesses who make Illinois run. Perhaps we should entertain separating from Chicago a little more closely, but that is a rant for a different day.

Under the current administration, Illinois has fallen behind the rest of the nation on nearly every major measure of economic well-being. Since 2019, the state has lost more than 338,000 residents to domestic migration, posted one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates, ranked near the bottom in private-sector job growth, and experienced some of the slowest wage growth in the country. Illinoisans are working for less, struggling to find stable employment, and increasingly choosing to leave the state entirely.

At the same time, Illinois’ tax climate has worsened substantially. While 26 other states cut income taxes between 2021 and 2023, many moving to lower or flat rates, Illinois has taken the seemingly an odd approach through 24 tax and fee hikes, attempted a failed $3.4 billion progressive income tax amendment, and set multiple state spending records, including a $53.1 billion budget for FY2025 with $1.1 billion in new taxes. Neighboring states such as Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana, and Wisconsin are lowering tax burdens while Illinois grows less competitive.

Education outcomes have also deteriorated despite billions in new state spending. Since the 2018-2019 school year, reading and math proficiency have fallen sharply across all grade levels, while chronic absenteeism has surged by more than 60%, affecting more than 28% of all students and over 42% of Black students. Under Pritzker’s leadership, Illinois families face declining schools, a weakening economy, and a growing tax burden.

Not unlike the Federal government, Illinois doesn’t have a tax-revenue problem. Illinois has a spending and accountability problem. Until voters demand serious reform and fiscal responsibility, expect more of the same – more taxes and less freedom.

Welcome to the Illinois that politicians want, and taxpayers have to foot the bill for.