Trump must pay back $ 1 million in taxes for Chicago skyscraper

An Illinois tax agency has ruled that former President Donald Trump should refund $ 1 million on the 2011 tax bill for his downtown Chicago skyscraper, but local officials are trying to block the repayment.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that this is the Cook County Board of Review’s estimate of the value of rooms and commercial space at the Trump International Hotel & Tower. In June, the Illinois Land Tax Appeal Board voted 5-0 to reduce the property’s commercial property valuation.

The vote means Trump owes $ 1.03 million, money that would come from property taxes owed to the city of Chicago, Chicago public schools and several other government agencies. The Cook County state attorney is contesting the refund and has filed a lawsuit with the Illinois Court of Appeals in hopes of blocking it.

The dispute is the latest chapter in a long legal battle over Trump’s tax bills that began over 12 years ago and has led to more than $ 14 million in tax relief for Trump. It also involves not only a former president who is in the midst of a multitude of legal battles, but a Chicago city councilor whose own legal issues have been in the headlines in Chicago for months.

Alderman Edward M. Burke, whose former law firm, Klafter & Burke, won the tax breaks for Trump, has been charged with federal charges he has prevented businesses from obtaining municipal permits in unless they hire the firm. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

The dispute over high-rise building tax bills has its own long history. Originally, the state agency rejected Trump’s argument that vacant stores were of no value because he couldn’t find any tenants to rent them out. A state agency hearing officer dismissed Trump’s argument that the building’s vacant stores were of no value because he couldn’t rent them. But a staff member later wrote a report that Trump was entitled to the refund.

The agency delayed taking action on the case until Trump was removed from office and voted in June to lower the valuation of the building’s commercial property.