One chart tells you much about Chicago’s property tax and its pensions – Wirepoints Quickpoint

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The above is only for taxes that fund the city’s main operating account — its Corporate Fund. Property tax bills in the city include separate charges for the school district and other overlapping taxing districts.

Also, since money is fungible, it’s a bit arbitrary for the city to budget a portion of the property tax to pensions. The city has other revenue sources, though the property tax is the biggest.

Still, the chart makes the point everybody should know: Pensions are a huge and growing crisis. They are the 800-pound gorilla in the room — for Chicago, the state and most of its municipalities.

Author(s): Mark Glennon

Publication Date: 19 August 2021

Publication Site: Wirepoints

DiNapoli: Local Sales Taxes Jump 49.2 Percent in Second Quarter

Link: https://www.osc.state.ny.us/press/releases/2021/07/dinapoli-local-sales-taxes-jump-49-point-2-percent-second-quarter

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Sales tax revenue for local governments in New York state rose by 49.2% in the second quarter (April to June 2021) compared to the same period last year, a dramatic increase from last year’s weak collections during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Sales tax collections during this period grew by just over $1.6 billion and even surpassed collections reported during the second quarter of 2019, before the onset of the pandemic.

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The size of the increase largely reflects extremely weak collections in the April to June period of 2020. However, even compared to pre-pandemic collections for the same period in 2019, statewide collections in 2021 were up 8.7% or $396 million. Every region outside of New York City experienced two-year growth over 18%. The Mid-Hudson and North Country regions both reported increases of more than 29%.

Author(s): Thomas DiNapoli

Publication Date: 23 July 2021

Publication Site: NY State Comptroller

Testimony Before a Subcommittee of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee

Link: https://www.manhattan-institute.org/hendrix-tax-tools-local-governments-ways-and-means

PDF of testimony: https://waysandmeans.house.gov/sites/democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/files/documents/Michael%20Hendrix%20Testimony.pdf

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While America’s real GDP fell in 2020, states and local tax receipts actually increased—once you add in federal aid, revenues actually grew by nearly 10 percent. As their costs from fighting the pandemic grew and layoffs loomed, Congress rightly stepped up to help. There’s been $360 billion in direct relief for Covid-19 and hundreds of billions more in indirect aid—all told, Washington sent more than $1 trillion to states and localities last year.

Author(s): Michael Hendrix

Publication Date: 11 March 2021

Publication Site: Manhattan Institute

DiNapoli: January Local Sales Tax Collections Down 5.9 Percent

Link: https://www.osc.state.ny.us/press/releases/2021/02/dinapoli-january-local-sales-tax-collections-down-5-point-9-percent

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Local government sales tax collections statewide were down 5.9 percent in January compared to the same time last year, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today. Collections totaled $1.5 billion, down $95 million from January 2020.

The decline was less than the 8.4 percent drop in December and the double-digit declines in the earlier months of the pandemic (April-June).

“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to weigh heavily on New York’s local governments, even as vaccines are being distributed and infection rates are declining from all-time highs,” DiNapoli said. “Congress must pass a COVID relief bill that helps our local governments during this crisis. Majority Leader Schumer and the entire New York congressional delegation know how much our local communities are suffering and are working diligently to get them aid.”

Author(s): Thomas DiNapoli

Publication Date: 17 February 2021

Publication Site: Office of the New York State Comptroller