A recent poll from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale indicates Illinois tax rates are a big factor in residents’ desire to move out of the state.
The results point to an issue that Jason Kasiar, Republican candidate for the District 118 state House seat, cares a lot about.
“The numbers showed what the governor and the Republicans have been saying,” Kasiar told Southwest Illinois News. “People are leaving. It’s because we have a problem here in Illinois.”
Results from the poll released Oct. 10 found that 47 percent of respondents said they wanted to leave the state, while 51 percent wanted to stay. Whether they actually would leave was another matter. The poll showed nearly 80 percent of registered voters said it was unlikely that they would leave the state in the next year.
Why leave? More than a quarter of those who took the poll cited taxes, followed by the weather, government and jobs.
“There are lots of reasons why people want to leave,” David Yepsen, director of the Simon Institute, said in a statement with the results. “Not much can be done about the weather, but policymakers can do something about perceptions of the quality of services, tax competitiveness, tax fairness, and educational and job opportunities. People often don’t feel they get good value for their tax dollars, and with frequent stories of public corruption or the large numbers of governmental units, it’s no wonder why they feel that way.”
The poll showed Illinoisans under 50 are the ones looking for the door. More than half of millennials — those under 35 years old — and those between ages 35 and 50 want to leave the state. Only 29 percent of voters over age 66 want to leave.
“Policymakers argue over whether people are leaving or not,” Yepsen said. “The most troubling finding in this poll is that so many younger people are thinking about it. That’s the state’s future.”
Kasiar pays $500 each month in property taxes on his home — an amount that could double other homeowners’ mortgage payments. Residents living in counties that border other states may face the most temptation. Kasiar said he could move 20 minutes away to Kentucky or Indiana and still operate his pharmacy in Eldorado, Illinois.
Kasier said voters want to see their tax dollars put to good use.
“We need to figure out a way to entice people to stay,” Kasiar said. “Taxing them more and more and more is not the way to do it.”
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