Gary H.: There’s really no hope for those of us who are trapped in our houses by the Illinois taxing bodies.

Gary H. owns a 1,789 square foot Lake in the Hills home that is currently assessed at $282,105.

“I am currently appealing this year’s assessment,” Gary said. “I’ve been very active in opposing this taxation without representation.”

Gary took possession of the home in 2007 when it was worth around $437,500, or $532,038 in today’s dollars. He has paid $97,289 in property taxes since 2007, more than 22 percent of the original value of his home.

Gary is currently paying $10,423 per year in property taxes on his home, about 3.6 percent of the McHenry County Assessor claimed value of $282,105.

Gary is currently paying $10,423 per year in property taxes on his home, about 3.6 percent of the McHenry County Assessor claimed value of $282,105.

“It’s impacted our life very seriously to the point where if I could sell my house today I would be out of Illinois,” Gary said. “There’s no way a retired individual can survive in Illinois anymore. They are unfortunately held captive by property taxes. They can’t sell their house because no one wants to pay taxes either.”

Indiana has a hard 1 percent cap on property taxes. This means local governments are not allowed under state law to charge homeowner’s more than 1 percent of their home’s assessed value per year. The average property tax rate for the state of Indiana is 0.89 percent. Meanwhile, the average property tax rate in Illinois is 2.3 percent.

“Indiana has a one percent cap on their taxes and Illinois has no cap,” Gary said. “There’s really no hope for those of us who are trapped in our houses by the Illinois taxing bodies.”

If Gary lived in Indiana the most he could be charged in property taxes would be $2,821 per year or $7,602 less than what he currently pays in Illinois.

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