Category: Taxes

Word of mouth helps homeowner get $6,805 refund for missed exemptions

March 5, 2024March 5, 2024 Guest Columnist 2 Comments

Word of mouth helps homeowner get $6,805 refund for missed exemptions By Maria Pappas Word of mouth helped chef Gabriel Miranda of Hickory Hills obtain a $6,805 refund for missed homeowner exemptions. Miranda said he and his wife deposited the money into their savings account. Their monthly bills include private high school tuition for the…

Blogger, Business, Commentary, Cook County, Government, Maria Pappas, Opinion, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes

Hanania’s columns: Dune review, Pekau’s disrepect in Orland, #AbandonBiden and Best Middle East Bakeries

March 2, 2024March 2, 2024 Ray Hanania No Comments

Hanania’s columns: Dune review, Pekau’s disrepect in Orland, #AbandonBiden and Best Middle East Bakeries By Ray Hanania My new syndicated column at www.Hanania.com or www.RayHanania.com has touched on a lot of topics this past week. I write four to six columns every week now, driven by what provokes my mind and I share them through…

Baby Boomers, Blogger, Books & Films, Commentary, Culture, Government, Health, Humor, immigrant, Opinion, Politics, rayhanania, Seniors, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes, Veterans

Pappas urges property owners to pay First Installment tax bills by Friday, March 1 due date

February 27, 2024February 27, 2024 Ray Hanania 2 Comments

Pappas urges property owners to pay First Installment tax bills by Friday, March 1 due date First Installment Tax Year 2023 property taxes are due Friday, March 1, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas reminded taxpayers today. The Treasurer’s Office posted nearly 1.8 million bills online at cookcountytreasurer.com in early December and mailed printed bills to…

Cook County, Government, Maria Pappas, News, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes

Pay your property tax bill online to avoid risk of check-washing fraud

February 16, 2024February 16, 2024 Ray Hanania No Comments

Pay your property tax bill online to avoid risk of check-washing fraud By Maria Pappas As the March 1 due date approaches for Cook County property owners to pay their First Installment 2023 tax bills, I encourage people to pay online. It’s more convenient — and much safer. People who still pay their bills by…

Blogger, Commentary, Cook County, Government, Maria Pappas, Opinion, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes

Erika Maldonado to lead Spanish-language outreach for Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas

February 13, 2024February 13, 2024 Ray Hanania No Comments

Erika Maldonado to lead Spanish-language outreach for Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas Erika Maldonado will lead Spanish-language outreach to taxpayers for the Office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. Maldonado has strong connections throughout the Chicago-area Latino community. She is a journalist with 30 years of experience who has co-anchored evening newscasts for Univision WGBO-TV…

Chicago, Cook County, Culture, Government, Maria Pappas, News, Releases, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes

Money from your property taxes pays for essential local services

February 4, 2024February 4, 2024 Ray Hanania No Comments

Money from your property taxes pays for essential local services Your Property Taxes with Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas By Maria Pappas My office recently mailed property tax bills to owners of nearly 1.8 million parcels in Cook County. First Installment tax bills are due March 1. Local governments, such as school districts and municipalities,…

Cook County, Government, Maria Pappas, News, Taxes

Illinois program lets senior citizens defer up to $7,500 per year in property taxes

January 21, 2024January 21, 2024 Ray Hanania 3 Comments

Illinois program lets senior citizens defer up to $7,500 per year in property taxes Your Property Taxes column with Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas 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 up…

Baby Boomers, Blogger, Commentary, Cook County, Maria Pappas, Opinion, Seniors, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes

Slashed interest rate on late property tax payments could prevent home loss

December 16, 2023December 16, 2023 Ray Hanania 2 Comments

Slashed interest rate on late property tax payments could prevent home loss By Maria Pappas As my office prepares for the Annual Tax Sale, we’re doing all we can to help people avoid losing their homes because of unpaid property taxes. One of the biggest legislative reforms to the Illinois property tax system in decades…

Blogger, Commentary, Cook County, Guest Commentary, Maria Pappas, Opinion, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes

New tool shows where property tax dollars go and informs fed up taxpayers

December 3, 2023December 3, 2023 Guest Columnist 1 Comment

New tool shows where property tax dollars go and informs fed up taxpayers By Maria Pappas When I saw how recent property tax bills shocked and angered many Cook County homeowners I knew people needed to understand why their taxes are so high. I began hearing from frustrated homeowners before tax bills landed in early…

Blogger, Commentary, Cook County, Maria Pappas, Opinion, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes

Treasurer Maria Pappas unveils online tool detailing property tax spending as Dec. 1 tax due date looms

November 28, 2023November 28, 2023 Ray Hanania No Comments

Treasurer Maria Pappas unveils online tool detailing property tax spending as Dec. 1 tax due date looms Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas today unveiled an innovative online tool that for the first time calculates year-to-year changes for each property tax bill and shows where tax dollars go. The search tool at cookcountytreasurer.com is available as…

Chicago, Cook County, News, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes

Citizens Against Government Waste Names Sen. Dick Durbin November 2023 Porker of the Month

November 18, 2023November 18, 2023 Ray Hanania No Comments

Citizens Against Government Waste Names Sen. Dick Durbin November 2023 Porker of the Month Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named on Thursday Nov. 16, 2023 U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) its November 2023 Porker of the Month for trying to take away everyone’s credit card benefits. In 2010, Sen. Durbin led the effort to pass…

Economy, Federal, Government, National, News, NewsWire, Politics, Taxes

Vote against any member of Congress who doesn’t support this Social Security protection bill

November 17, 2023November 21, 2023 Ray Hanania 2 Comments

Vote against any member of Congress who doesn’t support this Social Security protection bill By Ray Hanania US Rep. Thomas Massie (Republican Kentucky) continues to reintroduce a bill that would prevent the double taxation of Social Security payments to seniors and retirees, but not enough members of Congress will support it. In fact, opposition to…

Baby Boomers, Blogger, Commentary, Opinion, Seniors, Taxes

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Black Men United cohost veterans event at Hines VA Hospital

November 7, 2023November 7, 2023 Ray Hanania 1 Comment

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Black Men United cohost veterans event at Hines VA Hospital Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas will help military veterans and their families search for savings on their property tax bills during a Veterans’ Appreciation event Wednesday, Nov. 8, at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital with Black Men United. Treasurer’s…

Cook County, Maria Pappas, News, NewsWire, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes, Veterans

What can America do with $14.3 billion?

November 6, 2023November 7, 2023 Ray Hanania No Comments

What can America do with $14.3 billion? By Ray Hanania In 2022, the Social Security Trust Fund had a $22 billion deficit, which shows you how little Congress cares about Seniors compared to how they care about some foreign countries. When the deficit was announced, no Republican or Democrat members of Congress rushed to resolve…

Baby Boomers, Blogger, Commentary, Employment, Health, Opinion, Politics, Racism, rayhanania, Seniors, Taxes, Veterans, Veterans Column

Pappas: School districts hiked property taxes on Cook County homes, businesses

October 30, 2023October 30, 2023 Ray Hanania No Comments

Pappas: School districts hiked property taxes on Cook County homes, businesses An analysis of Cook County’s 1.8 million property tax bills for 2022 shows that school districts are chiefly responsible for hefty tax bills that are due Dec. 1, according to Treasurer Maria Pappas. The median residential tax bill in the north and northwest…

Chicago, Cook County, Education, Government, Maria Pappas, News, NewsWire, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes

Qualifying disabled veterans are fully exempt from paying property taxes

October 28, 2023October 28, 2023 News Editor No Comments

Qualifying disabled veterans are fully exempt from paying property taxes By Maria Pappas Veterans deserve our thanks, especially those whose abilities were diminished as a result of active military service. Illinois law recognizes that. Qualifying veterans whose disabilities are certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are eligible for tax breaks. Veterans classified as…

Blogger, Chicago, Commentary, Cook County, Maria Pappas, Opinion, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes

Pappas: Second Installment 2022 tax bills are now online, two weeks before they are mailed

October 21, 2023October 24, 2023 Ray Hanania No Comments

Pappas: Second Installment 2022 tax bills are now online, two weeks before they are mailed Cook County property owners who don’t want to wait until their property tax bills arrive in the mail may now view, download and pay their Second Installment bill for the 2022 Tax Year online at cookcountytreasurer.com, Treasurer Maria Pappas announced…

Cook County, Government, News, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes

Pappas: Property tax bills will soon be due. Are you getting all your exemptions?

October 15, 2023October 24, 2023 Ray Hanania No Comments

Pappas: Property tax bills will soon be due. Are you getting all your exemptions? Your Property Taxes with Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas By Maria Pappas If you own a home or other real estate in Cook County, chances are you will have a property tax bill due soon. Property taxes in Illinois are billed…

Blogger, Chicago, Commentary, Cook County, Opinion, Suburban Chicagoland, Taxes