East Central Reporter

Republican House hopeful Chris Miller has a simple way of gauging the outrageousness of the property tax crisis in Illinois.

“It used to be that owning a home was seen as the American Dream, now it’s widely viewed as an American nightmare because of all the rising taxes and added costs this state has attached to home ownership,” Miller told the East Central Reporter.

Illinois has the second highest property taxes in the country, according to a recent Realtor.com survey, which also found that for a rising number of local homeowners property tax rates are now more costly than monthly mortgage payments.

Shirley Bell

The state now loses at least one resident to outmigration every 4.6 minutes and overall population has declined to the point the state has fallen from the list of Top 5 largest in the country, the Illinois Policy Institute states.

Over the last eight years, Illinois has lost nearly 643,000 residents to other states at a time when no other neighboring state has suffered population decline since 2011.

“Owning a home in Illinois is like having a second mortgage,” said Miller, running against Democrat Shirley Bell in the 110th District. “The system is broken and it’s gotten to the point that many people are starting to explore their options. That’s why you see so many people and businesses leaving the way they are.”

Miller admits that it’s possible even he could be forced on to that list.

“Looking at the possibility of more (House Speaker) Mike Madigan and a democratic governor like J.B. Pritzker is just too much," he said. "Everything they say they will do, from raising your taxes to taking your guns, is what people in Southern Illinois don’t want to see.”

The 110th House District includes Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Edgar and Lawrence counties.