A few hours after my property tax bill arrived in the mail last week, I took the dog for a walk and bumped into a neighbor. "My taxes went up again," he complained. "I thought they were going down."
Why in the world would you think that? I asked.
Because, he replied, Mayor Daley said he was holding the line on property taxes, the state increased the home owner's exemption, and the papers are filled with stories about the failing housing market. If my property's worth less, I'll pay less in taxes--right?
Wrong.