Batavia Home Rule Meeting

By on September 18, 2018   /   Illinois, Latest, Pension Reform, Press  

Jim Tobin, economist and President of Taxpayers United of America gave a presentation on how Home Rule affects taxpayers. Mr. Tobin has spent decades fighting home rule throughout Illinois, calling it, “the most insidious form of government in America”.

In 1970, Illinois adopted a new constitution that designated any municipality with a population greater than 25,000 as a home rule unit. In addition, municipalities can vote to adopt Home Rule, or repeal Home Rule if they already have it. “Illinois Home Rule gives unlimited taxing power to bureaucrats,” said Jim Tobin

In some cases, Home Rule even takes away citizens’ right to vote on vital city issues and limits citizens’ voice in government mayoral and council elections. “Taxpayers are effectively muzzled, except at election time, and even then, their choices are limited,” according to Tobin.

The Illinois version of so-called Home Rule strips citizens of control over local politicians’ power to tax, to regulate, and to incur debt. The Illinois version denies citizens the right to have a local charter or constitution to protect taxpayers from abuse or incompetence by office holders and from the hazard of easy access to public funds for developers, lawyers, bankers, and government workers.

Illinois bypasses the people of the community and puts all the power of local government into the hands of politicians. That’s why students of government and political science have described the Illinois version of so-called home rule as the most insidious form of government anywhere in the United States of America. It is government by personality instead of government by principle.

Without the controls of a local charter or constitution, and with citizens stripped of their right to vote on city issues, so-called Home Rule in Illinois empowers politicians to:

1) Raise taxes without citizen permission.
2) Impose new taxes in the form of fees, licenses, and regulations.
3) Expedite seizures of private property.
4) Give city property to private interests without competitive bidding.
5) Take greater control over citizens’ lives, livelihoods, property, and liberty.

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Rockford Pensions Release

By on September 14, 2018   /   Illinois, Items of Interest, Latest, News Releases, Pension Reform, Press  

This story has been featured by CBS and NBC. Click here to view the CBS report, and click here to view the NBC report.

Click here to view as PDF

Rockford – Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today released the updated study on Rockford, Illinois government employee pensions, publishing the top 200 pensions for Rockford Illinois Municipal Retirement (IMRF) fund and the top 200 pensions of the Teachers’ Retirement Fund (TRS).

“Rockford taxpayers, like the rest of Illinois, can’t afford to pay for outrageous pension promises made decades ago by greedy political hacks. These pensions are nothing more than a contract for union votes and have nothing to do with providing services to taxpayers,” stated Jim Tobin TUA’s president and former economist.

“Everyone knows that property taxes, used to fund the IMRF pensions of the Rockford municipal and county employees, have been rising out of control. Illinois is second in the nation for homes under water on their mortgage with more than 15% of homes worth less than the amount owed. Add to that the crippling property tax bills and Rockford is in the top 20 U.S. cities for foreclosures.”

  • Click here to see the top 200 Rockford TRS pensions
  • Click here to see the top 200 Rockford IMRF Pensions
  • Click here to see the top 200 Rock Valley College SURS pensions

“The teachers’ pensions are some of the most outrageously lavish in the state and gubernatorial candidate J. B. Pritzker is on his way to bail them out at the expense of Illinois taxpayers. If Pritzker is elected governor, he will quickly slam taxpayers with a huge increase in the flat-rate state income tax. Then, he will support the Income Tax Increase Amendment, which would create a graduated income tax increase for middle class taxpayers.

“Illinois is first in the country in outmigration; more taxpayers are moving out of the state than into the state. That means that those of us who stay will have to pay even more in taxes to bail out the lavish, unnecessary government pension that have bankrupted Illinois,” added Tobin.

“Just look at the pensions we are paying for, and in an area that has barely climbed out of the financial slump that most of the rest of the country has nearly forgotten. If Pritzker wins the gubernatorial election, there will be no stopping the Democrats from stealing every last dime from taxpayers.”

“Alan S. Brown, who retired from Rockford government schools, rakes in $177,989 in annual pension payments. This poor, overworked, ‘civil servant’ retired at the ripe old age of 55! Assuming he lives until 85, he will collect $5,320,870. His contribution to that multi-million dollar payout was only 3.3%.”

“Winnebago County retiree Paul A. Vogli also does pretty well with an annual pension of $164,652. He will collect about $4,254,294 in lifetime payments.”

“Nearly all IMRF employees are also eligible for Social Security pensions in addition to their IMRF pensions,” added Tobin

“It is just unreasonable to allow people to retire in their 50’s and early 60’s and expect taxpayers to foot the bill, and if Madigan gets his way and Pritzker wins the governor’s race, government pension reform won’t occur anytime soon,” concluded Tobin.

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TUA In The News: Trump and Taxes

By on August 27, 2018   /   Illinois, Illinois Press, Latest, NTUI in the News  

Click here to to view the full news article.

Recently Jim Tobin, President of Taxpayers United of America was interviewed regarding President Donald Trump and his tax policies. This is what Mr. Tobin had to say on the recent tax cuts and the new tariffs:

“Businesses will be able to hire more employees, and use some of the tax relief to invest in capital stock,” Tobin said. “That’s a source of economic growth that benefits everyone.”

The economic stimulus the tax cuts provide is being watered down as a result of Trump’s actions regarding international trade, more specifically the imposition of import duties and tariffs, according to Tobin.

“Unfortunately, Trump’s support of import tariffs decreases the positive effects of the federal income tax cuts – by one-third, according to a Tax Foundation report released this week,” Tobin said.

Import duties and tariffs raise the costs of imported goods and raise consumer prices, he explained.

Taxpayers United supports the federal income tax cuts wholeheartedly, however, Tobin said.

“It has been good for the country – the stock market is booming, businesses are expanding and unemployment is down to record lows,” he said. “In fact, we need more workers to fill all the open positions available.”

The findings from Kotlikoff’s study aren’t surprising, Tobin continued.

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