McHenry Times

Allen Skillicorn of East Dundee, the Republican candidate for the state House seat in District 66, recently stressed his concern over property taxes and how they are crippling Illinois families.

“Local governments that annually hike property taxes hurt real people and break up communities when seniors can no longer afford their homes,” Skillicorn said. “Illinois families need real tax relief. We need to lower taxes and cap them.”

Skillicorn said McHenry County sees considerable hits because of these taxes.

“The county with the highest foreclosure rate in the region is McHenry, which is seeing protests against its exorbitant property taxes, including residents paying their property tax bills in $1 bills,” Skillicorn said. “The northern Illinois county has one foreclosure for every 642 properties.”

Skillicorn has a history of promoting tax reform to try and help area residents.

“This is why I lowered property taxes in East Dundee and will stop referendums going forward,” Skillicorn said. “I have a couple different plans for tax relief from changing the tax cap law, consolidation, to changing the way we fund local taxing bodies,” he said.

Skillicorn also said the government is sinking the state and it will take a serious change to repair the damage that has already be done.

“The question that begs to be answered (is) who do you trust to right Illinois’ financial ship,” Skillicorn said. “A tax-and-spend liberal who stands with (House Speaker) Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) or someone who has successfully lowered taxes the past five years? The choice is clear in District 66.”

It is not only home foreclosures that are affecting suburban counties like McHenry. Skillicorn sees the lack of a balanced budget, which turns into higher taxes for Illinois residents, affecting schools as well.

“I am 100 percent committed to protecting our school funding from the Chicago Democrats who are trying to bail out Chicago schools with suburban money,” Skillicorn recently told the McHenry Times. “Our school funding formula is broken. From 2004-14, Democrats cut school funding four times.”

The combination of high property taxes and underfunded schools is a bad mix that Skillicorn said he wants to see repaired, and he is hoping he gets the chance to make it happen by winning the November election.

“There is zero evidence that higher taxes work,” he said. “From 2011-14, Democrats hiked taxes by 67 percent, bringing in over $30 billion in additional revenue, and squandered it. Instead, I plan on tax relief for overtaxed Illinois families.”

Skillicorn has been endorsed by Tax Accountability, which is part of the larger organization Taxpayers United of America.