$31,829 property tax bill robs ‘Home Alone’ house in 2022

Despite lower assessed value, thieving property taxes are on the rise for the old McCallister residence.

The house used in “Home Alone” is one of Illinois’ more famous spots, but while the “Wet Bandits” might not be attempting any burglaries this holiday season, Illinois property taxes still rob from the owners.

In the past 20 years, the owners of 671 Lincoln Ave. in Winnetka, Illinois, have paid $614,124 in property taxes.

Since 2017, the assessed value has dropped over 20%, but the property tax rate rose from 7.8% to 8.6%. The 2022 estimate for the property’s value is $1,259,750.

Since 2002, the property tax bill has jumped 54% – well above inflation. The property taxes paid on the house in 2022 totaled $31,829

The movie plot includes youngster Kevin McCallister being accidentally left behind from the family vacation. Burglars hit the neighborhood, leaving faucets running as their “Wet Bandit” trademark, but young Kevin fends them off with a series of booby traps.

Too bad there’s no deterring the taxman.

Property taxes from the house support 15 different taxing districts. It’s part of Illinois’ trend of bloated government units, leading the nation with nearly 7,000 separate units.

And the high taxes are not just on the beautiful Winnetka home: Illinois ranks No. 2 in the nation for the highest property taxes.

Cook County property tax bills were sent out months after when they’re usually due in August, forcing residents to fork over the cash during the holidays.

Property tax increases hit low-income households the hardest because they have less disposable income to hire an attorney to appeal their bills.

According to the Cook County treasurer, property tax hikes were especially high in majority Latino communities.

Altogether, rising pension debt, high property taxes and falling property values are a perfect storm for Illinois homeowners. It gives people more reason to consider a permanent vacation from Illinois. Protecting homes starts with lawmakers, whose priorities should be to make sure families have homes that aren’t robbed of value by local public pensions driving property taxes even higher.