By Joe Cahill, includes “As you may know, Illinois has the second-highest property tax rate in the nation, trailing New Jersey by just five one-hundredths of a percentage point. … Outside of unfunded state employee pension obligations, no other challenge facing legislators poses a greater threat to the state’s long-term prosperity. …” 
(Note: Illinois and New Jersey rank 49th and 50th, respectively, on Truth in Accounting’s “Taxpayer Burden” measure, which reflects the threat to future taxpayers, not only the ones currently paying property taxes. Illinois and New Jersey also rank 49th and 50th, respectively, in the latest United Van Lines outmigration study. They ranked 50th and 47th, respectively, in the latest Gallup poll on trust in state government. Also note that Illinois owes more on non-pension retirement benefits than it owes state bondholders.)