[ Cook County Taxes - Opinion ] Freeze the Tax Incompetence
Cook County officials continue to abuse property taxpayers and fail to do their job properly. The recent abuses of the Senior tax-exempt program highlight yet another example of how taxpayers in Cook County suffer the consequences of incompetent government by literally having to pay for the County's mistakes.
The Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption program has a worthwhile purpose and is intended to help those over 65 years and with low income. Yet, when the program fails to identify who is eligible and who is not, it not only stops functioning it begins punishing all other hard-working property taxpayers.
The County's miscalculation mistakes should not mean other hard-working families should have to pay for those extra costs. The emphasis should be on getting tax assessments correct in the first place. There is no reason why Cook County officials cannot having an updated safeguard mechanism that monitors eligibility for the program based on proper proof of age and income.
For too long Cook County has punished homeowners with undue and unfair tax hikes. For too long the tax assessment system has been flawed, corrupt, and not served the best interest of the public.
It's time we demanded better service in particular more accurate tax assessments, technology, and personnel that can properly monitor eligibility requirements and an end to these outrageous tax abuses.
