Legislative Issues Brief (pdf) - Illinois Association of REALTORS

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ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS ®Property Tax Issues SUPPORT legislative efforts to reduce and/or make theprovision of local government services more efficient (SB 1585-Biss; HB 439-Franks and SB 494-Cullerton, T.; HBs 2481 and 3251-Reboletti). OPPOSE Senate Bill 41 (Munoz), a repeat measure, to allow local tax assessors to file a TAXLIEN and impose significant penalties and interest when a homeowner has received a homesteadexemption for which they were not eligible, even if the violation was unintentional or the homeownerdid not realize they were no longer eligible. SUPPORT Senate Bill 2230 (Sullivan) which clarifies provisions in the Illinois Property TaxCode relating to the use of compulsory sales in the assessment of property. The bill ensures that all deedtypes are included in the definition of compulsory sales. This will ensure that these all deed types areincluded when the sales ratio reports are done by the Department of Revenue. Passed the Senate,pending in the House. SUPPORT Senate Bill 1924 (Luechtefeld), which modifies a subsection of the PropertyTax Code dealing with the preferential assessment for developers (commonly known as the “Vacant LotAct”). SB 1924 provides that through December 31, 2015 the preferential assessment can remain inplace for a subsequent developer who was transferred the property pursuant to a foreclosure. Continue to discuss House Bill 197 (Mayfield), a change to the TIF law to allocate toschools additional tax dollars attributable to inflation.Other Issues of Interest OPPOSE House Bill 2326 (Chapa LaVia) to amend the Freedom of Information Actto modify the definition of “commercial purpose” and to change requirements on persons whorequests to inspect or copy public records. OPPOSE House Bill 3262 (Verschoore) amending the Public Water District Act andthe Highway Code UNLESS AMENDED. The introduced bill removed the requirement of aPublic Water District to get the consent of a private landowner to place pipes or conduits in theeasement originally granted for highway purposes. SUPPORT House Bill 3014 (Unes/Cunningham) to enhance penalties on theoffense of theft of recyclable metal. Passed the House, pending in the Senate. OPPOSE Senate Bill 1097 (Noland) to enact the Consumer Contract Plain Language Act,which would apply to brokerage agreements and real estate contracts. The IAR believes that contractsbetween parties should contain whatever language the parties and their attorneys feel is necessary toaccurately reflect the nature of the agreement.• • • • • • •Fighting for Our Industry, Homeowners, and Property Rights!
Policy Statement Regarding Property TaxesThe Illinois Association of REALTORS® is a strong advocate for property taxpayers on a widerange of taxation and regulatory issues. We advocate for all types of property owners, in everymunicipality, every county, and every region of the state.As real estate professionals, we understand the complexities and variations of the property taxsystem in different regions of the state. For example, we understand that decreasing propertyvalues overall do not necessarily translate to a lower tax bill for all property owners. But ourclients and your constituents do not understand the complexities of the Illinois property taxsystem, and we are asking you as state leaders to think about property tax issues as part of yourpolicy considerations this spring.The REALTOR® organization has a rich history of dedicated involvement in real estate policyissues on behalf of our members and property owners at all levels of government. Weunderstand just how difficult and seemingly insurmountable it is to come up with passable“fixes” to the property tax system in Illinois. But our clients and your constituents do notunderstand these political realities, and are frustrated that we continue to live with what theysee as an unfair, unpredictable, incomprehensible, politically influenced process that stifleshome ownership as well as commercial and residential development.We also understand that issues like the state’s $96 billion unfunded pension liability, ourmassive budget deficit, and the contentious debate a court decision has sparked regarding the“concealed carry” of firearms, tend to crowd out other issues that are important but not animmediate crisis. Though the property tax issue may not seem the immediate crisis as some ofthese other issues, it is of no less significance to your constituents. Therefore, the IAR urgesyou to keep the property tax issue on your agenda, and to consider a pathway towardsestablishing greater fairness, predictability, and transparency in the Illinois property tax system.THE ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® PLEDGES TO SERVE AS A RESOURCE AND PARTNERWITH YOU AS YOU DEAL WITH THESE ISSUES, AND WE OFFER THE FOLLOWING THOUGHTS ASWE CONTINUE TO DISCUSS THIS CHALLENGING ISSUE:• First, do no further harm. There are proposals each year to make the tax system morecomplex, less transparent, and more prone to pushing property taxes upwards. Obviously,the discussion of pushing more pension costs off on property taxpayers concerns us. Butthere are also proposal to further expand exemptions from property tax caps and expandthe use of monies raised from particular levies. We urge you to not further exacerbate theproblem regarding property tax issues.
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Legislative Issues Brief (pdf) - Illinois Association of REALTORS

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