Dupage Policy Journal

Tonia Khouri leaves no doubt about her position on the idea of a statewide property tax increase.

“This has to be the dumbest idea I've ever heard from people who are obviously out of touch with what hardworking taxpayers are going through,” Khouri, running against Democrat Katrina Villa to replace retiring Rep. Mike Fortner (R-West Chicago) in the 49th House District, posted on Facebook.

A trio of economist at the Federal Reserve of Bank of Chicago recently raised the idea of a property tax hike as a way for the state to pay down its stifling pension debt, now known to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $129.1 billion.

More specifically, the proposal broached the idea of Illinois homeowners paying 40 percent more in property taxes for the next 30 years to erase the deficit.

Economists Thomas Haasl, Rick Mattoon and Thomas Walstrum reasoned their proposal is as fair as it is sensible given "Illinois residents who have benefited most from the past services of governmental employees are more likely to be homeowners, so it seems reasonable” that they would be saddled with a larger share of the costs, according to Crain’s Chicago Business.

Khouri has based her campaign on a platform of pension and spending reforms, recently telling WIND AM 560 radio: “Everybody is saying high property taxes are a concern. It doesn’t matter what demographic they are.”