Open Letter regarding Property Tax Increases to 博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台 Members from 迈克尔Cornicelli

尊敬的博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台会员:

I’m sure that you have seen 和 heard the press coverage of Mayor Emanuel’s proposed 2016 budget 和 real estate property tax increase totaling over $543 million for 2015-2018, including his push to shift much of that burden to commercial taxpayers by doubling the homeowner exemption.

I have never seen an issue with the potential for such dramatic impact on our industry in the nearly 15 years I’ve worked for 博马/十大网赌靠谱网址平台.

You know that commercial property in Cook County (和 only in Cook County) is assessed at 2.5 times the rate at which single family homes 和 condos are assessed. 正因为如此, our buildings 和 tenants have borne far more than our fair share of the tax burden for many years. We cannot allow that to be perpetuated 和 made even worse. The health of our economy 和 the attractiveness of our city as a home for business 和 jobs are at stake.

I want all of you to know that we are employing every resource available to us to evaluate the Mayor’s proposals, to ensure that they are as fair to our industry as they can be. 为此目的, we will fight against further overburdening commercial taxpayers 和 tenants in whatever form the painful steps toward fiscal responsibility might take. 我们正在利用我们自己的人才, 我们在斯普林菲尔德和这里的说客, 税务顾问和研究人员, 还有我们的公关公司. Here is a summary of some of the steps we have taken so far:

参与与主要决策者的讨论

• We were invited to a private briefing by Vice Mayor Steven Koch 和 the city’s CFO Carol Brown on the Mayor’s budget 和 tax proposals, which we attended along with the Civic Committee 和 the Chicagol和 Chamber of Commerce.
• We met with the Governor’s senior staff to further educate them about the impact of the proposed property tax increase 和 the dramatic 和 adverse effects of shifting that burden to commercial buildings 和 tenants by increasing the homeowner exemption.

向公众传递我们的信息

• We have developed 和 distributed press releases 和 position statements that express cautious support for the difficult steps needed to restore financial stability to the city, but also express reservations that not enough cuts have been made in expenses. Our statements always oppose any shift of the increased tax burden from homeowners to the businesses 和 employers that are tenants in our buildings.
• Ron Tabaczynski 和 I have done over 24 interviews with the press, 包括电视采访 十大网赌靠谱网址平台今晚 和 美国广播公司第七频道十大网赌靠谱网址. We have been quoted extensively, always in a favorable business light. 前往我们的 十大网赌靠谱网址平台十大网赌靠谱网址页面 阅读更多.
• We met with the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune, which published an 支持我们在这些问题上立场的社论. 我有一个 这篇专栏文章发表在今天的《十大网赌靠谱网址平台商业报》上 和 we will also met last week with the editorial board of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• 我们创建了 Infographic to easily explain the impact of the Mayor’s proposed property tax increase on commercial tenants 小型和大型企业遍布整个城市.

让春田镇听到我们的声音

• Ron 和 other industry allies testified at a subject matter hearing in Springfield last week, opposing an increase in the homeowner exemption 和 its attendant shift in the tax burden from residential to commercial taxpayers.

Forming a Coalition with Like-Minded Business Groups

• We took the lead in forming a coalition of like-minded business groups working together on these issues. 该组织包括:十大网赌靠谱网址平台商会, 伊利诺斯州商会, 伊利诺伊州零售商人协会, 伊利诺伊州制造商协会, 商业俱乐部公民委员会, 十大网赌靠谱网址平台公寓协会, 伊利诺斯州餐饮协会, 和其他人. 这个名单还在增加.
• We continue to research the economic impact of the proposed tax hikes 和 the proposed expansion of the homeowner exemption, including the effect of the shift in burden from residential to commercial taxpayers. It is difficult to accurately estimate the impact until we see specific proposed legislation, 但我们在尽最大努力做假设.

We will soon ask all of you to reach out to the Mayor, 的市议员, 和 members of the General Assembly 和 tell them why we think they must tread cautiously before taking dramatic steps that could jeopardize our economy. We will also ask you to request that your tenants do the same. 特别是, we hope you will convey opposition to any proposal to shift this unprecedented tax increase from residential taxpayers to commercial taxpayers, whether that takes the form of an increased homeowner exemption or some other mechanism.

Look for further communications from us very soon that will provide you 和 your tenants with the tools to take proactive steps in shaping this outcome. As always, your voice is more important than mine in impacting these events.

感谢您的帮助和支持.

真诚地,

迈克尔Cornicelli
执行副总裁