That’s the gist of today’s Chicago Tribune editorial.
The paper even pulled editorial cartoonist Scott Santis into the subject:
The article points to this California law:
“California voters’ power comes from Proposition 218, the “Right to Vote on Taxes Act,” a constitutional amendment voters approved in 1996, which strengthens existing protections and requires voter approval on local tax increases…..
“Much like California before Prop 218, the protections offered to Illinois taxpayers are insufficient. Illinois taxpayers do have a limited referendum mechanism under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law. But unlike California’s Prop 218, which broadly requires voter approval for many local tax increases, Illinois generally allows elected officials to raise taxes without direct voter consent. What Illinois lacks is anything resembling California’s broad taxpayer veto over local tax increases.”
