Revelations from a recent report by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas have brought to light an unsettling disparity within the county’s property tax appeals system. According to an analysis released by the Chicago Sun-Times, this system has shifted a $2 billion tax burden from businesses onto homeowners between 2021 and 2023, disproportionately affecting Black and Latino residents.
Maria Pappas has pointed out that businesses have managed to receive $25.5 billion in property valuation reductions through appeals. In contrast, homeowners saw only a $2.8 billion reduction, and simultaneously were dealt an additional $1.9 billion added to their tax bills. The most severe disparities were evident in Chicago, where data from the Cook County assessor’s office showed that residential tax bills saw a more than 16% increase, while businesses enjoyed nearly a 20% decrease.
Lower-income communities, particularly those with a majority of Black and Latino residents, bore the brunt according to Pappas’s findings. As noted in a WTTW News report, households making less than $50,000 a year faced an average tax bill increase of nearly 10%, a stark contrast to the substantially lower increase experienced by those with incomes exceeding $150,000. Communities like South Deering, the East Side, and West Englewood were hit with some of the largest hikes, ranging from 20 to 25% after the appeals process…