On July 1, 2008, a one percent sales tax increase went into effect in Cook County raising the home-rule tax from 0.75% to 1.75%. The increase brought the City of Chicago’s composite sales tax rate on general merchandise to 10.25%, the highest rate among major U.S. cities ....

This blog continues the Civic Federation’s examination of indicators that can be used to assess the financial health of local governments. The Federation is working on a project that compares the City of Chicago with a group of thirteen large U.S. cities that have also been the subject of...

This report compares effective property tax rates in selected communities around metropolitan Chicago and finds that all communities’ effective tax rates for residential properties rose...

The Civic Federation opposes the Cook County FY2009 proposed budget because it is built on an unstable foundation of $364.0 million in borrowed funds to pay for operating expenses less than a year...