Regional Tax Policy Task Force
Created by the CMAP Board to make recommendations on state and local tax policy matters addressed in GO TO 2040, the Regional Tax Policy Task Force met from April 2011 to January 2012. It was charged with advising the CMAP Board on issues central to state and local fiscal policy, viewed through the lens of the regional economy, sustainability, equity, and the connections between tax policies and development decisions. The task force existed to advise the CMAP Board, and had no statutory or independent authority.
After ten meetings and extensive staff-supported research, the task force prepared an advisory report, which the CMAP Board received at its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on February 8, 2012. (See the bottom of this page for earlier drafts of the report.) As recommended by GO TO 2040, the task force evaluated policy issues such as existing state and local revenue sharing arrangements, the connection between the sales tax and development decisions, the connection between the tax base and tax rates, the property tax, the state income tax, and the divergences in local tax capacity across northeastern Illinois.
The GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan states that:
"Tax policy should encourage local decisions that make effective use of land, generate good jobs, and trigger sustainable economic activity. It should set high standards of transparency and predictability for the taxpayer. And it should not create large inequities across households, businesses, and local governments. By reforming state and local taxation, the region would benefit from new policies that help to advance rather than undermine GO TO 2040's goal for sustained regional economic competitiveness."
Now that the task force has completed its work, the CMAP Board is guiding additional research into the issues raised by the task force report and by GO TO 2040. Watch the CMAP Policy Updates blog for information about significant developments.