Gov. Rauner vows to veto reckless spending plan 

Late Sunday afternoon (July 2nd), the Illinois House passed a massive tax hike for families and businesses. What does that mean for taxpayers? Well, if this proposal isn’t vetoed by Gov. Bruce Rauner, the personal income tax rate would increase by 32 percent, surging from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent, and the corporate rate would jump from 5.25 percent to 7 percent. This would enable and fund business as usual. (“Enable” is the key word here…)

The final vote was 72-45 – with 57 Democrats and 15 Republicans voting in favor of increasing our taxes. To see how your state representative voted, please click HERE.

It is very disappointing to know that so many state representatives ignored basic economic principles, and decided that the solution to irresponsible fiscal spending and mismanagement was to place a heavier tax burden on already over-taxed families in Illinois. Instead of reducing spending and cutting waste, they opted to feed the insatiable demands of our growing state government.

This proposal (SB 9) now moves to the Illinois Senate for consideration.

Thankfully, in response to this vote, Gov. Rauner issued a statement last night promising to veto this tax hike when it arrives on his desk, saying:

“I will veto Mike Madigan’s permanent 32 percent tax hike. Illinois families don’t deserve to have more of their hard-earned money taken from them when the legislature has done little to restore confidence in government or grow jobs. Illinois families deserve more jobs, property tax relief and term limits. But tonight they got more of the same.”

We know from recent history (2011-2014) that Illinois lawmakers were unable to improve the state’s fiscal condition with a temporary income tax hike — despite their promises to do so. There is no reason to believe that sending more tax revenues to Springfield now will be any different than before. They have proven themselves to be utterly irresponsible and reckless with the tax revenues they are getting now, so why would anyone think they would do better with even more taxpayer resources?

Take ACTION: Please ask the governor and your state senator to vote against any legislative proposal that would increase tax burdens for Illinois citizens. Ask them not to take much needed resources away from family budgets to boost imprudent spending of Illinois government.

Let them know that you oppose any new tax increases when they refuse to cut government waste and bloat. You can also call your lawmakers’ Springfield offices through the Capitol Switchboard at (217) 782-2000.

PLEASE ALSO CALL THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE at (217) 782-0244 and/or (312) 814-2121.

How Did They Vote?

Spread the Word!

Please share this information on social media and with your like-minded friends and neighbors.  Only a strong response from Illinois citizens can stop this tax exploitation from going through.

It is only because of concerned citizens like you that we are able to continue promoting pro-family values in the Prairie State.

>>Private, tax-deductible contributions keep IFI in the fight for truth in Illinois. Click HERE TO SUPPORT Illinois Family Institute.

There is often a lot of talk about taxes during the month of April.  This year there is also some discussion of how the new Trump Administration might seek to change tax policies.

One of the too often overlooked groups carrying a disproportionately heavy tax burden in America today are married couples.  A new study from the Pew Research Center notes that even though marriage has been declining over the past 40 years in the United States, married couples still pay a lop-sided share of income taxes.

The share of married Americans has declined from 69 percent in 1970 to just 50 percent in 2014. During this time the percentage of income taxes paid by married Americans fell only six points.  During the same time period, the share of tax returns filed by married couples declined even more, from 60 percent of all federal returns in 1970 to only 38 percent in 2014.

While there is inequality in our tax system, and our tax policies should not punish something as critical to a healthy society as marriage, there is also a good reason for the disparity not often recognized in our culture.  The economics of marriage are tied to higher levels of income (and education). Therefore marrieds are more likely to pay income taxes than their single counterparts.

As professor of sociology Bradford Wilcox notes:

“Because marriage is associated with income pooling, more savings, and better economies of scale, marriage is also linked to more prosperity, net of men and women’s other background characteristics. Married families are also less likely to experience income insecurity and poverty. All these factors help explain why the married tend to pay more in taxes than the unmarried, and why married families are less likely to depend on the government for financial support.”

With all the well-documented social and economic benefits of marriage and children raised by a married mom and dad, government policies should avoid discouraging couples from marrying by excessively burdening married families with taxes.

We’re all familiar with the old adage that the only two things certain in life are death and taxes. Yet, one major difference between the two is that for death, there are never any increases per capita and everyone has a flat rate. That certainly can’t be said for the taxes, particularly in Illinois. 

According to recent statistics, Illinois ranks lower among all states in nearly every economic category than five years ago, including a bleak 49th in the nation in job growth.

Despite these depressing indicators, Illinois lawmakers continue to propose new legislative projects and programs that would siphon more money from hard working citizens for various pet projects, including a proposition from House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) to spend $100 million taxpayer dollars on a Barack Obama Presidential Library.

It seems everywhere you turn, there are new taxes and/or additional taxes being proposed. Here are a few examples:

Earlier this year, retiring State Representative Naomi Jakobsson (D-Champaign) introduced legislation for a graduated income tax to replace the flat income tax in Illinois.  The bill is currently tabled for the session. Nevertheless, support among Democrats is rising; this legislative proposal had collected 38 co-sponsors. 

A group called the Transportation for Illinois Coalition is calling for a .04 per gallon increased tax hike on gasoline.

State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) recently sponsored legislation to impose an additional tax on soda.

Chicago Alderman Bob Fioretti (D-2^nd Ward) is calling for a new commuter tax for those suburban residents who work in the City.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently withdrew his proposal to raise the property taxes in the City.

And when Governor Pat Quinn gave his annual budget address to the General Assembly in March, he didn’t mince words about making permanent the “temporary” income tax increase they had burdened Illinois’ families and businesses with three years ago. 

To justify the continuation, Gov. Quinn proposed a $200 million increase in funding for education, all part of his plan for a $6 billion increase in education funding over the next 6 years. Few can criticize spending money on children, but are they really the beneficiaries?

According to the Illinois Policy Institute, 70 percent of new education spending has been spent on teacher pensions. And even if all the money was spent directly on the classroom those positive impacts may be countered by harm caused by continuous taxation. Consider that one of the most vital factors in a child’s environment is the stability of a family. Study after study tells us that a family environment that is financially stable and has parents actively involved in a child’s life is critical to a child’s success in school, even more important than the total amount of time in the classroom.

Yet increasing taxes only add to the financial burdens of parents and families.  Taking a greater percentage of income from working families often require parents to work longer hours and results in greater financial stress, lower disposable incomes and ultimately less time for parents to spend with their children. We are taking needed revenue away from a child’s primary care givers and giving it to a much less effective secondary source. The guise that “It’s for the children” is a suspicious justification for increasing tax burdens.

Illinois is expected to generate $36.66 billion in revenues for the 2014 fiscal year, $588 million more than previously expected. These are record setting amounts, yet the current financial crisis is not expected to improve. According to the Illinois Policy Institute, since the tax increases there has been $18 billion in new state revenue, yet state pension debt has increased by $17 billion, along with increases in the aggregate amount of unpaid bills and the interest the state must pay on those overdue bills. Furthermore, the state’s bond rating has been downgraded five times. And yet there is no sign from Springfield that there is any change of course in the future.

It seems that our elected officials have been something less than good stewards with the state’s finances and yet they are again asking for more. Is there any reason to believe that there will be different results? Until proven otherwise, it is time for the citizens of Illinois to say enough to the government bloat, waste, and incompetence. To our elected officials, read our lips and count our votes: no new taxes.

TAKE ACTION: Click HERE to send an email or a fax to your state representative and state senator to let them know what you think of the effort to make the “temporary” income tax hike permanent.  The voters of Illinois expect their elected officials to keep their promises. Let them know that you oppose any new tax increases when they refuse to cut government waste and bloat. 

You can also call your lawmakers through the Capitol Switchboard at (217) 782-2000. 

 Stand with Illinois Family Institute!