Amy D.: We will not be able to stay in our house.

Amy D. owns a 3,762 square foot, 4-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom Golf home that is currently assessed at $818,790.

Amy took possession of the home in 2001 when it was worth around $600,000, or $855,725 in today’s dollars. She has paid $255,633 in property taxes since 2001, more than 42 percent of the original value of her home.

“We will not be able to stay in our house,” Amy said. “We cannot afford it anymore. We will move elsewhere. It has meant we can't help our child pay for college.”

Amy is currently paying $20,230 per year in property taxes on her home, about 2.4 percent of the Cook County Assessor claimed value of $818,790.

Amy is currently paying $20,230 per year in property taxes on her home, about 2.4 percent of the Cook County Assessor claimed value of $818,790.

“I think our taxes have been spent recklessly, obviously.,” Amy said. “They are the highest in the country.”

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.

“I think a one percent cap would be a good start,” Amy said. “I can’t even believe it is legal to have property taxes this high.”

If Amy lived in Indiana the most she could be charged in property taxes would be $8,187 per year or $12,043 less than what she currently pays in Illinois.

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