SE Illinois News

Ted Dabrowski, a candidate for governor of Illinois, addressed the Hancock County Republican Fall Banquet, emphasizing that Illinois's lack of competitiveness compared to neighboring states adversely affects border communities. He argued that people and businesses can easily relocate across state lines.

According to the Tax Foundation, competitive pressures in Illinois are most evident in counties near lower-tax neighbors, where consumer purchases and business decisions can shift with minimal friction. The campaign frames this as a policy-driven issue—high taxes, regulatory costs, and fuel levies—which they argue erode retail sales, reduce payrolls, and incentivize relocation. Border shopping, commuting, and logistics routing amplify these effects, turning small percentage gaps into persistent revenue leakage for local governments and employers near state lines.

The campaign uses comparative tax data to highlight rate gaps that can influence household and business behavior. Illinois's effective property tax rate is cited at 1.87%, compared with Missouri at 0.78% and Iowa at 1.24%. Gas taxes are listed at $0.66 per gallon in Illinois versus $0.27 in Missouri and $0.30 in Iowa. Average sales tax rates are shown at 8.89% in Illinois, 8.41% in Missouri, and 6.94% in Iowa. In border areas, these differences can redirect significant purchases, fuel buys, and even facility placement to nearby states with lower burdens.

As per Crain's Chicago Business, population flows underscore the economic stakes involved. Census-based estimates for 2024 show Illinois experiencing net domestic out-migration of approximately 56,235 residents—second only to California and New York in losses. While the overall state population increased due to international inflows, the persistent outbound domestic trend threatens the tax base and labor pool outside Chicago particularly; this reinforces Dabrowski’s argument that tax and cost differentials matter for families and firms deciding where to live and invest.

Dabrowski brings over three decades of experience in international finance and domestic policy leadership to his campaign. He spent 16 years in senior financial roles including as Head of Corporate Banking at Citibank in Poland where he advised the government on economic liberalization and managed multi-billion-dollar Treasury portfolios in Poland and Mexico. After returning to the U.S., Dabrowski became Vice President of Policy at the Illinois Policy Institute before serving as President of Wirepoints—a nonprofit focused on Illinois’s economy and government.