Crack down on businesses that rent from government but don’t pay taxes

Hashbrowns Cafe leases this space from the University of Illinois at Chicago at 731 W. Maxwell St. and has seven years of unpaid real estate tax bills that now top $114,000, plus interest. UIC is required by law to take steps to help make sure its tenants pay these taxes, but hasn’t done so. (Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times)

For some businesses in Cook County, having property tax bills fall through the cracks might seem like a good deal.

For all the school districts, park districts and other governments, though, not so much. If leasehold taxes aren’t paid, they don’t get money they were counting on.