Americans for Prosperity–Illinois, Civic Leaders Warn: Reject Pritzker’s Megaproject Plan to Hike Property Taxes on Families & Small Businesses

Oct 21, 2025 by AFP

CHICAGO, IL — In response to Governor JB Pritzker’s address at the Economic Club of Chicago, Americans for Prosperity–Illinois (AFP-IL) joins a growing chorus of civic leaders, lawmakers, and policy experts warning that the Governor’s economic vision—defined by crony capitalism and picking winners and losers in the economy— is not a roadmap to prosperity—but a blueprint for deeper inequality, higher taxes, and an economy that’s leaving families and small businesses behind.

As AFP-IL noted recently in the Chicago Tribune, the Pritzker administrations veto session push for a ‘megaproject’ bill would grant massive property tax freezes for well-connected developers, while shifting billions in property tax burdens onto families and small businesses.

Quotes on Pritzker’s Megaproject Bill Push

“Gov. Pritzker’s approach to economic development is upside down—he raises taxes across the board, then funnels subsidies and tax breaks to select industries and wealthy developers through schemes like the megaproject bill. Prosperity requires lower, simpler taxes for all—not special exemptions for the insiders.” – Brian Costin, Deputy State Director of Americans for Prosperity – Illinois

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“Illinois families are already crushed by the highest property taxes in the nation. And now the Pritzker administration wants you to pay for a tax break for politically connected developers. It is the same old corruption dressed up as economic development.” – Regan Deering, State Representative

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“Illinois should be a top five state in job creation, economic growth and opportunity. It’s policies like these – where taxpayers are forced to subsidize the politically connected – which trap Illinois at the bottom of the nation for growth and prosperity. We should be providing Illinoisans with tax relief, not tax hikes.” – Ted Dabrowski, former Wirepoints President

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“This legislation pushed by Pritzker should be roundly rejected by both parties in the Legislature. The Governor is completely out-of-touch again. Illinois is the highest property taxed state in the nation already. The massive shift of the tax burden to residential homeowners, working families, and seniors and away from MegaProject Developers is corporate welfare on steroids,” Mendrick added. – James Mendrick, DuPage County Sheriff

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“It’s unconscionable that the Governor would side with billionaires over working families. The idea that property tax breaks for massive development projects will ultimately be paid for by Illinois families is outrageous.

“I support economic growth, but the real path to attracting new jobs and opportunities is through lower taxes, fewer regulations, and an end to the culture of corruption in Springfield. Illinois currently has the 12th highest unemployment rate in the nation, and JB Pritzker continues to prove he cannot grow our economy. This latest half-baked scheme is just another example of insiders winning big while ordinary Illinoisans are left to pay the price.” – Darren Bailey, Former State Senator

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“Democrats have kept in place one of the most regressive property tax systems in the nation—one that punishes the poor and protects the wealthy. In working-class suburbs like Harvey, families pay effective property tax rates three to four times higher than those in elite suburbs like Winnetka. Their failed policies have destroyed opportunity, driven out businesses, and trapped residents in poverty. This legislation only makes the problem worse.” – Mark Batinick, former State Representative and Senior Fellow at the Illinois Policy Institute

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Americans for Prosperity–Illinois calls on lawmakers from both parties to reject this dangerous legislation and demand real reforms that lower taxes, empower small businesses, and restore opportunity for all Illinoisans—not just the well-connected few.

Background on Megaproject Bill

Each of the proposed “mega project” bills (HB 4058, HB 2789, SB 1514) would grant multidecade assessment freezes and abatements to politically favored developments while still allowing local governments to increase property tax levy and bond limits based on the full value of that new construction. This property tax swap mechanism would allow for a massive dollar-for-dollar shift of the property tax burden from millionaires and billionaire “mega project” developers onto everyone outside the project footprint—homeowners, renters, and small businesses.  In HB 4058, any project investing over $100M would be eligible for mega project designation. HB 2789 and SB 1514 set the megaproject threshold at $500 million invested. Over a term of 23 to 40 years of the freeze, due to Illinois’ high property tax rates, millions or billions in property tax burdens could be shifted for a single project.

Illinois’s Failing Economic Record Under Gov. Pritzker