SPRINGFIELD (Dec. 17, 2015) – Springfield area homeowners are in the top third of property tax payers in Illinois, according to a new report issued today by the nonpartisan Illinois Policy Institute.

The report, “Growing out of control: Property taxes put increasing burden on Illinois taxpayers,” takes a look at how much homeowners pay in property taxes as a percentage of household income. The report found that all across the state, property tax bills are climbing at a rate many times faster than household income growth. But in the Springfield area in particular, property taxes are climbing at a steep rate.

“Governments in Illinois are spending and taxing at record levels, far outpacing the rate of growth in income of the taxpayers who fund government,” said Ted Dabrowski, vice president of policy at the Illinois Policy Institute. “For a lot of homeowners, property tax bills have become like a second mortgage. In the city of Springfield, homeowners are forking over 4.9 percent of their household income to property taxes alone. There’s been a lot of talk recently about a property tax freeze, but it’s time for lawmakers to enact one.”

Highlights from the report: