Madison County faces population loss and high taxes. Do you feel the pinch?

Dear Editor:

According to the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI), between 2010 - 2013 “Madison County lost 3,642 people, which is about 1 percent of the population. With that, Madison County lost about $96.4 million of taxable income over the course of those years.

Of the $96.4 million of lost income, approximately 18 percent  ($17.4 million) would have gone to state and local taxes.” (Latest available figures.) Of this 17.4 million of lost revenue approximately half would have gone to the county. When people and revenues leave the county a greater tax burden is placed on those who stay.

August 2016 US Department of Labor Statistics show Madison County had a 6 percent unemployment rate and a 12.2 percent underemployment rate. (FRED: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.) We don’t know how many are really without work because those that quit working no longer appear in unemployment statistics.

However, you may know of young adults with large college debt who live with parents or one of the many good union folks laid off from Granite City. It’s hard for them, CNBC in June 2016 reported 43 percent of those without work have quit looking.

Madison County leaders must revitalize and create functioning enterprise zones to bring badly needed jobs and revenue to Madison County. Is it time put our citizens back to work and to broaden the tax base?

Philip W. Chapman

Highland, IL

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