Governor Rod remains opposed to "tax-swap" plan

Hundreds of people swarmed the Statehouse Wednesday to lobby for transforming the way Illinois pays for public education, but Gov. Rod Blagojevich continued to oppose the idea because it would raise taxes.

A new analysis of the plan concluded that Illinois homeowners would, on average, see a 20 percent increase in their overall tax burden.

The Chicago Tribune reviewed information from 5.2 million Illinois tax returns filed in 2004. The smallest increase it found was less than 7 percent in one Waukegan ZIP code. The biggest increases were more than 40 percent in parts of Chicago's Loop and some downstate ZIP codes.

Blagojevich cited the finding as he reiterated his opposition to the "tax swap" concept.