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CHICAGO—Taxpayers United of America (TUA) is working with taxpayers in Indiana’s Knox Community School District to oppose the district’s property-tax-increase referendum that will appear on the district’s May 7, 2013 ballot.
“This referendum is a money grab for the bureaucrats of the Knox government schools,” said Jim Tobin, TUA president. “Homeowners are being hit-up for a property tax increase to fund a new building that just isn’t necessary.”
“The average value of a home in Starke County is $99,400, so this referendum, if passed, would increase such a home’s annual real estate tax bill by about $279 every year.”
“It’s amazing that even with the decline in property values, resulting in homeowners losing a significant portion of their assets, the Knox Community School bureaucrats still want a sizeable increase in property taxes to build their work-palace.”
“Eighty-percent of government-school revenues go to salaries and benefits of these government employees for their nine-months-a-year employment. An increase in property taxes will not help students, but it will keep funds available to well-to-do teachers and administrators for their lavish pay and benefits.”
“Taxpayers in Knox Community School district are dealing with 12.3% unemployment- one of the highest in the country. They have also been hit with a 44% increase in their Social Security taxes but these government school bureaucrats want even more. After all, these government bureaucrats have no need to worry about job security or economic strife – they have nearly iron-clad job security with a guaranteed lifestyle that is greater than those in the community they serve.”
‘We urge Knox Community School homeowners to turn out in force for the May 7 election and vote No on the property-tax-increase referendum. You can bet that the government employees will show up to vote in favor of their buddies’ shiny new workplace.”
Click here to download our ‘VOTE NO’ flyer to share with friends and neighbors in the Knox Community Schools district.
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CHICAGO—Taxpayers United of America (TUA) released Illinois State Police Pensions and garnered major media attention.
Click here to read the release where we publish the ISP pension study and Jim Tobin calls on Gov. Quinn to freeze hiring until comprehensive pension reforms are passed.
https://www.taxpayersunitedofamerica.org/uncategorized/6845
CBS 2 in Chicago secured an exclusive release of the TUA study on Illinois State Police pensions before it was released to the rest of the IL media. Click here to see the great story by their investigative reporter, Pam Zekman.
https://www.taxpayersunitedofamerica.org/press/cbs-2-chicago-2-investigators-state-police-retirees-draw-six-figure-pensions
Fox 32 in Chicago reported on the apparent lifestyles of the rich and not-so-famous ISP.
https://www.taxpayersunitedofamerica.org/press/fox-32-chicago-taxpayers-united-of-america-wants-hiring-freeze-until-pension-crisis-fixed
Since Illinois has the worst government pension problem in the country, even MyFoxPhoenix published our ISP pension study!
http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/22123911/taxpayers-united-of-america-wants-hiring-freeze-until-pension-crisis-fixed
Whiteout Press was sure to take the story to its online readers.
https://www.taxpayersunitedofamerica.org/press/whiteout-press-list-of-highest-government-pension-recipients-in-us
Conservative blog, Illinois Review published the CBS 2 coverage of our ISP study.
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2013/05/state-police-retirees-draw-six-figure-pensions.html
Click here to read the follow-up story just released on how much it will cost IL taxpayers if Gov. Quinn hires nearly 200 additional state troopers.
https://www.taxpayersunitedofamerica.org/news-releases/6875
Thanks for your continued support – Remember to Give Freely Now, so you still have some freedom later!
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CHICAGO—Ill. Gov. Patrick Quinn’s proposal to add roughly 200 additional state police will cost Illinois taxpayers $1.5 billion, conservatively, over the troopers’ expected lifetime—a cost the bankrupt state and battered taxpayers can’t afford, according to Jim Tobin, President of Taxpayers United of America.
“Gov. Patrick Quinn (D) is ‘concerned’ that too many state police officers are retiring. And why wouldn’t they retire? They can retire in their 50s and get millions of dollars in retirement benefits over a normal lifetime. Getting paid not to work is a terrific deal.”
“Using a conservative estimate of $80,000 annual base pay over 25 years, these 200 additional state troopers will cost taxpayers at least $400 million in wages alone. After working for 25 years and retiring, if they live to age 85, they will cost taxpayers an additional $1.1 billion in pension benefits. Contrary to popular belief, actual employee contributions to the pension fund average only about 3% of their total, lifetime pension payouts. The total tab to taxpayers will be about $1.5 billion.”
“They will be paid more not to work, for more years, than they will be paid to actually work.”
“Besides handing out speeding tickets and doing politicians’ dirty-work, the state police contribute little to the state’s quality of life. Only the state crime lab is essential. The state troopers are superfluous and expensive.”
“We sent a letter to Gov. Quinn asking for government pension reforms that include raising the retirement age to 67, increasing employee pension contributions 10%, requiring all members to contribute 50% to their healthcare premiums, ending cost-of-living increases, and immediately replacing defined pension benefits with contributions made by all new hires.”
“We need a hiring freeze of all state government agencies whose employees participate in the crippled Illinois government pension system until comprehensive government pension reform is implemented.”
