It’s time to rethink how we pay for city services – Opinion – Crain’s

Michael A. Pagano, dean of the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs and director of the Government Finance Research Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Meter all water users and charge a price to replace the system’s infrastructure.  Charge a market price for parking as well as road use, starting with congestion pricing. Ask the legislators in Springfield for access to an earnings tax at the place of employment, like Ohio’s cities, or a payroll tax on employers, and reduce the property and sales tax rates. Broaden the sales tax base by imposing the sales tax on services as is done in neighboring states, while lowering the sales tax rate which is among the nation’s highest.Ask Springfield for access to a ‘gross receipts’ tax, like Seattle and other Washington cities, and reduce the property and sales tax rates.