Cook County recently released its 2019 property tax rates, which are used to determine the tax bill. The numbers are often a mystery, but property owners should know what the numbers mean and how the money is being used. The […]

A new Kiplinger report rates Illinois as the least tax-friendly state in the country, especially for homeowners. Illinois has the second-highest property taxes in the nation, at an average of 2 percent of the home’s value. Reduce Property Taxes Through […]

With the COVID-19 pandemic, residential and commercial property owners have concerns about paying the property tax bill that will be sent this summer. How Counties are Handling Property Tax Bills On the commercial property side, there is concern that rent […]

Although scheduled to begin May 8, 2020, a Cook County Circuit Court judge postponed the Annual Tax Sale of delinquent properties because of the coronavirus, per the emergency motion filed by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas. Cook County Treasurer Files […]

As we advised our clients in our May Newsletter, we had proposed that Cook County allow financially stressed taxpayers a penalty-free extension to pay their second installment tax bills in response to the COVID-19 crisis. We are very pleased to […]

As the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to reverberate throughout our society, The Law Offices of Gary H. Smith, P.C. remains fully committed to working on your property tax matters. We want to make sure that you know we are […]

Assistance in your tax planning calculations You probably have read some of the numerous media reports regarding the drastic increases in assessed values for both residential and commercial/industrial properties in Northern Cook County.  Assessor Fritz Kaegi is seemingly unconcerned about […]

Thousands of Cook County residents are owed property tax refunds, and all property owners need to do is visit the Cook County Treasurer’s website to check their property’s listing. How to Claim a Tax Refund for Overpayment There is an […]

Predatory lending practices by mortgage giant Bank of America could be partially to blame for the foreclosure crisis that caused property tax bills to spike in Cook County. How the Foreclosure Prevented Property Tax Collections In the wake of the […]

The dollars collected from property taxes are used to fund a number of state and local services, including education, transportation, emergency, parks, and libraries. How those dollars are calculated involves a variety of entities and a lot of math. How […]