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Chicago – Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today submitted notice to the Illinois Court of Appeals 1st District, of its intent to withdraw its complaint against the Illinois Toll Authority for the allegedly illegal continuation and increase of the Illinois toll tax.
“The law that originally permitted this toll tax in 1953 was clear in its intent: The toll was temporary and would be paid-up by 1973,” said Jim Tobin, TUA President.
“But Illinois government bureaucrats found the Toll Authority to be such a convenient place for their cronyism, and pay-off for favors owed, that Ill. Atty. General Lisa Madigan (D) is willing to pit the entire Attorney General’s team against taxpayers to protect the Toll Authority.”
“The Toll Authority provides jobs and lucrative pensions for friends of elected officials that they don’t want to lose, even if it means cheating taxpayers who depend on traveling the toll roads to get to their jobs.”
“Because Lisa Madigan has no intention of ending the 87% increase in the toll tax and has the unlimited legal resources of the State of Illinois behind her in this fight, we are withdrawing our complaint to repeal the toll tax increase. We are conserving our resources to continue our fight against corrupt politicians in other ways.”
“This kind of taxpayers’ abuse is rampant in Illinois and clearly illustrates the priorities of the Chicago/Cook County Democratic Machine, which forces taxpayers to fund its lavish salaries and pensions.”
“We have had many successes in shining the light on the excessive salaries and pensions that drive the entire political machine, and we intend to continue to research and report on the taxpayer abuse found in the toll authority and throughout the Illinois government.”
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CHICAGO–Taxpayers United of America (TUA) filed an appeal to Judge Rita M. Novak’s dismissal with prejudice in its suit to repeal the 2012 toll tax increase of 87%.
“Attorney General Lisa Madigan is doing her best to sustain the toll tax increase that is tantamount to highway robbery,” stated Jim Tobin, president of TUA.
“The Illinois toll tax is nothing more than a cash machine that steals money from motorists to fund outrageous salaries for its overstaffed administrative authority. They reach right into your wallet and remove cash every few miles you drive.”
“The law is clear, stated Tobin. “Tollways were supposed to be freeways as soon as the original bonds were paid, and yet Lisa Madigan won’t do her job by upholding the very statutes by which she and the rest of the state are bound.”
“With an attorney general that works for her cronies rather than the people who elected her, there is no oversight, and the Chicago Machine continues to do what it wants, regardless of the laws.”
“TUA will see this suit through the Supreme Court if necessary. Illinoisans are fed up with the attitude of Madigan and her cronies, that we are an endless source of fodder to feed their insatiable hunger for other peoples’ money,” said Tobin.
TUA’s notice of appeal was filed in the Appellate Court on Thursday, August 2, 2012. TUA will make a request for oral arguments.
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The office of Ill. Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D) again is asking Judge Rita M. Novak of the Circuit Court of Cook County to grant Madigan’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit that would roll back the toll-tax increase that went in to effect on January 1st.
The suit, brought by Jim Tobin, President of Taxpayers United of America (TUA), one of the largest taxpayer organizations in America, also asked the court to declare that the Tollway Authority is required by law to convert all toll highways to freeways and to dissolve itself. Madigan is opposing that also, even though that’s what it states in the Ill. statute.
“The Tollway likes to brag about how efficient it is on a cost per mile basis,” said Tobin. “But if you calculate the true cost – by including Tollway payroll – it comes to $397,003 per tollway mile, and this doesn’t even include the gold-plated pensions of the employees and bureaucrats. Instead of paying-off the original Tollway bonds, the greedy politicians at the Tollway keep issuing more bonds. This process will not stop until the people say NO!”
“The original bonds, in the amount of $400 million, were paid-off years ago,” said Tobin. “Yet as of December 31, 2010, the Tollway had over FOUR BILLION DOLLARS ($4,066,675,000) in Illinois State Toll Highway Revenue Bonds outstanding. Furthermore, on August 25, 2011, the Tollway adopted a 15 year $12 Billion Capital Plan, thereby assuring its continued existence until at least 2026. What happened to ‘Toll Free in 73’?”
“Can Lisa Madigan in good faith claim that any of the $4 billion in outstanding bonds is being used to build the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), the Northwest Tollway (I-90), or the East-West Tollway (I-88)? These were the first three tollways and each of them should now be freeways.”
“The next court date, June 19, 2012, would be the time for Madigan to tell Judge Novak that she is withdrawing her motion to dismiss. The case is set for a status hearing at 10:00a.m. in Room 2402 of the Richard J. Daley Center. Will Lisa Madigan do the right thing? Don’t bet the farm on that.”
