ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
Illinois Politicians Give Themselves Raises While You Go Broke
Illinois is a state on fire—and the arsonists are holding the matches in Springfield.
Families are being crushed under the weight of the highest combined state and local taxes in the country, small businesses are bleeding cash just to stay alive, and tens of thousands are fleeing for relief.
And what did your lawmakers decide to do in the middle of this crisis?
They voted to give themselves a raise.
Not just any raise—a pay hike that cements them among the highest paid part-time legislators in America.
It’s a slap in the face to every family scraping together their property tax payment, every business owner skipping their own paycheck to pay employees, and every Illinois resident wondering how much more they can take.
The Numbers That Should Make You Boil
Illinois lawmakers now earn $128,000 per year for just 70 days of work.
That’s more than double the national average for state legislators, and up 5% from last year alone.
Their base salary is $98,000, but with perks, stipends, and bonuses piled on, many pocket the full six figures—all while Illinois families carry the highest tax burden in the nation.
Ted Dabrowski of Wirepoints didn’t mince words:
“I just think it’s fascinating that these lawmakers keep giving themselves raises when they’ve made such a mess for Illinois… We got some of the highest taxes in the country; the highest property taxes in the country and the second highest gas taxes in the country. People are leaving in record numbers and Illinois is in really tough shape and our lawmakers have done so much negative they don’t deserve raises.”
Real People, Real Pain
In a modest home outside Peoria, Mike and Sarah Johnson are fighting to keep their heads above water.
“We’re not asking for much—we just want to keep our house,”
Sarah says, clutching a stack of bills.
She adds.
“Every time that property tax bill comes, it’s like we can’t breathe. We haven’t taken a vacation in five years. We cut everything. And then we see the lawmakers giving themselves raises? It feels like they’re mocking us.”
For the median Illinois household, the $13,099 annual state and local tax bill eats up 16.5% of their income—a crushing figure that’s $4,472 higher than the national average.
On a $250,500 home, the property tax alone is $4,584 per year—enough to feel like paying a second mortgage on a house you already own.
And for small business owners, it’s worse.
John Ramirez, who runs a small shop in southern Illinois, is holding on by his fingernails.
“I haven’t paid myself in months,” he says quietly.
He goes on to say. “I’m skipping my own mortgage to keep my employees paid. I’ve cut every corner I can, but the taxes and fees just keep coming. And then I watch these people in Springfield give themselves another raise? It makes me sick.”
The Exodus Accelerates
Since 2020, more than 420,000 residents have fled Illinois, seeking refuge in states where their tax burden is $2,715 to $5,315 less per year.
They are not just numbers; they are families like the Johnsons and business owners like Ramirez who have been pushed to the breaking point.
Dabrowski sounded the alarm: “Too many of our residents don’t pay attention to what’s happening. Sometimes our media and sometimes the legislators don’t tell the truth to the voter and the voter believes it, but the voter needs to be smarter, much more engaged and take action against… these bad legislators.”
A State That Rewards Failure
Illinois government salaries have grown 57% faster than the private sector since 2021.
Public service here isn’t a calling anymore—it’s a business model. And every new raise proves it.
As Dabrowski warned,
“We have to look at laws and any law that increases taxes, increases the tax burden, hurts people, needs to be rejected. Any law that makes it harder for business to hire people, to invest in Illinois, to grow their business needs to be rejected.”
Yet while lawmakers reward themselves, Illinois remains plagued by a 4.5% unemployment rate, more than 319,000 people without jobs, and the seventh highest overall tax burden in the United States.
Conclusion: How Much More Will You Take?
This isn’t a mistake.
This isn’t bad policy.
This is a choice.
Illinois lawmakers are choosing themselves over you, year after year, raise after raise.
They are betting you’ll stay quiet.
They are betting you’ll be too exhausted to fight.
They are betting you’ll forget.
But you don’t have to.
You can remember every dollar they took.
Every family they crushed.
Every small business they drove to the brink.
And you can decide that enough is enough.
Because the real question isn’t whether they’ll give themselves another raise.
The real question is:
How much more will you take before you stop them?
Sources
Illinois Policy Institute, “Illinois lawmakers’ salaries continue to rise” (2025)
Wirepoints interviews with Ted Dabrowski, 2025
U.S. Census Bureau, State Tax Data (2025)
WalletHub, “2025 State Tax Burden Rankings” (2025)
