By Roland CaliaIntroductionState debt burden—a state’s total financial liability from various forms of borrowing, including bonds, loans, and related financing instruments—is one of the core indicators of a government’s fiscal health,…
By Lily PadulaThe Civic Federation has long advocated for the abolition of unnecessary, duplicative, and unaccountable units of local government, including townships. These proliferate in greater number in Illinois, which has…
By Lily PadulaA comparative analysis of state expenditures finds that Illinois allocates a larger portion of its operational expenditures to pension obligations than most peer states. Illinois’ annual expenditures on state-level public…
By Daniel Vesecky On February 19, Governor Pritzker released his proposed budget…
A coalition of Illinois policy and civic leaders released Modernizing Illinois' Sales Tax: A Pathway to a Sustainable Future, which outlines the potential impacts of updating the state’s sales tax system. The report — coauthored by…
CHICAGO – Today, the Civic Federation released a comprehensive report calling for Illinois legislators and Governor Pritzker’s administration to begin work on modernizing Illinois’ tax structure and improving its budgeting process. This…
The Civic Federation shares a comprehensive report to spur and guide the Governor and Illinois General Assembly in conducting a holistic re-set of the State’s fiscal structure and adopting a more strategic approach to budgeting that…
The non-partisan organization recently published analyses and informational reports on the finances of local governments and the impact on their taxpayers. CHICAGO – The Civic Federation released six reports in October and November,…
