Mary B.: We’re trying to get out of Illinois.

Mary B. owns a 4,313 square foot, 4-bedroom, 6-bathroom St. Charles home that is currently assessed at $589,086.

“We have [our house] on the market now,” Mary said. “We’re trying to get out of Illinois,” Mary said.

Mary took possession of the home in 2001 when it was worth around $135,000, or $192,538 in today’s dollars. She has paid $229,199 in property taxes since 2002, more than 160 percent of the original value of her home.

Mary was paying $15,112 per year in property taxes on her home, about 2.5 percent of the Kane County Assessor claimed value of $589,086.

Mary was paying $15,112 per year in property taxes on her home, about 2.5 percent of the Kane County Assessor claimed value of $589,086.

“The taxes are outrageous,” Mary said. “They need to cut the waste in government.”

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.

“We also have a home in Scottsdale and my taxes are one-third in Scottsdale for a home that is worth more than my St. Charles home,” Mary said.

If Mary lived in Indiana the most she could be charged in property taxes would be $5,890 per year or $9,222 less than what he currently pays in Illinois.

“We need to reduce [taxes] and then put a hard cap on them,” Mary said.

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