Rita is a Local Analyst who focuses on equity and fairness. Prior to joining ITEP, Rita worked for the Cook County Treasurer’s Office on research related to property taxation, tax collection, and municipal debt. She has also worked on issues including fines and fees, state block grants, and homelessness prevention.
She has a Master of Public Policy from the Harris School at the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Chicago.
June 1, 2026 • By Rita Jefferson
Second home taxes make a lot of sense for communities struggling with housing costs for full-time residents. They can raise real revenues too, which can be used to support further affordable housing development.
May 18, 2026 • By Angelo Pis-Dudot, Nick Johnson, Rita Jefferson
The task for local elected officials in this moment is therefore clear: use available tools to make the wealthy pay their fair share to fund the essential public goods that allow our communities to live safe, healthy, and thriving lives.
April 22, 2026 • By Rita Jefferson
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is gearing up to tax the rich — if they live elsewhere but own multimillion-dollar properties in New York City. Read more.
March 5, 2026 • By Rita Jefferson
Rita Jefferson, local analyst at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, said this approach fails to get at the root problem. She said generally, property tax growth caps are done on a state-wide level, rather than county by county, and she called the 0% tax cap “extremely unusual.” Read…
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