Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
How My Office Handles Billions — And Protects Every Penny By Maria Pappas, Cook County Treasurer Two times a year, my office mails nearly 1.8 million property tax bills and collects about $20 billion. That’s not a typo — $20 billion. As Cook County Treasurer, I oversee the second-largest property tax collection and distribution system…
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Illinois lets senior citizens defer up to $7,500 a year in property taxes By Maria Pappas Illinois offers senior citizens a property tax relief program that works like a loan. The Senior Citizens Real Estate Tax Deferral Program allows qualifying seniors to defer or postpone the payment of up to $7,500 a year in property…
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Financial planning tool offers free online help to budget late tax payments By Maria Pappas Property owners unable to pay their tax bills in full by the Dec. 15 due date should look at our free online financial planning tool that helps you make smaller, more manageable payments over time. It’s called the Payment Plan…
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Homeowners shocked by tax hikes should read bills to find out where their money goes By Maria Pappas Record-high increases in property tax bills have angered many Cook County property owners. My office has released an analysis of the nearly 1.8 million tax bills. It showed that in Chicago the median tax bill jumped 16.7%,…
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Illinois expands property tax breaks for veterans to include World War II vets By Maria Pappas Illinois lawmakers in recent years have enacted significant changes to property tax exemptions benefiting veterans, including a landmark provision for those who served during World War II. These changes underscore our commitment to support veterans in Cook County and…
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Your Mortgage Company May Pay Your Taxes — But You Still Need to Watch By Maria Pappas, Cook County Treasurer Every year, my office mails more than 1.8 million tax bills to property owners across Cook County. If you have a mortgage, your lender may collect money from you each month and put it in…
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The Politicization of the Nobel Peace Prize — and Trump’s Fury Over Losing Again By Mohammed Faheem Each October, as the world waits for the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize, we are reminded that what began as a celebration of humanity’s highest ideals has become an increasingly political spectacle. This year was no different….
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Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, one of the best candidates to become Illinois Governor As you know, I have never been a big fan of Gov. J.B. Pritzker, or, for that matter, many of the most recent governors we have had, including Bruce Rauner, Pat Quinn, or “Mr. Celebrity” Governor, Rod Blagojevich. (Previously published on Ray…
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