WARNING: ANOTHER ILLINOIS STATE INCOME TAX HIKE IN 2018!

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CHICAGO—Springfield Democrats enacted the largest permanent income tax hike in the state’s history, raising the personal income tax rate to 4.95 percent from 3.75 percent, and the corporate income tax rate from 7.75 percent to 9.5 percent, but they are just getting warmed up, warned Jim Tobin, President of Taxpayers United of America (TUA). In 2018, Ill. House Speaker and Chicago machine boss Michael J. Madigan (D-22, Chicago), and Ill. Senate President John J. Cullerton (D-6, Chicago), plan on putting on the statewide ballot a proposal to convert the state’s already high income tax to an even higher graduated income tax.
“If put on the ballot, this income tax increase amendment to the state constitution will be presented to Illinois voters, and I can assure you that all state government employees, active and retired, will vote ‘Yes’ on this measure,” said Tobin.
Taxpayers United of America’s executive director, Jared Labell, added, “But sensible Illinois taxpayers will defeat any such proposal if the spend thrift politicians in Springfield attempt to force this disaster upon us.”
“If approved, as with previous state tax increases, almost all of the money will be pumped into the insolvent state pension plans for retired state-government employees.”
“These retired state-government employees are enjoying lavish, gold-plated pensions, while a person in the private sector, who may not have a company pension at all, must scrape by with an average annual Social Security retirement benefit of less than $17,000,” said Tobin.
“Nearly 100,000 Illinois government retirees collect annual pensions totaling $50,000 or more, and 17,000 of those former government employees collect annual pensions totaling $100,000 or more. This is outrageous.”
“These Springfield Democrats need to be taught a lesson. Illinois taxpayers, including those in the Democrat stronghold of Cook County, must call and write their representatives in the Illinois House and Senate and voice their opposition to any further increases in the state income tax. They must tell these highway robbers that if they support changing the state income tax to a graduated income tax, they will be voted out of office,” said Tobin.
Labell concluded, “And if every democrat candidate running for governor continues to advocate for a new disastrous graduated income tax for Illinois, taxpayers will revolt and insure their defeat at the ballot box in 2018.”

GOP Turncoats Collude with Democrats to Raise Illinois Income Taxes

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CHICAGO—Some Republican members of the Illinois Senate and Illinois House of Representatives stabbed taxpayers in the back by voting with Democrats to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of an historic thirty-two percent permanent state income tax hike on July 4 and July 6, said Jim Tobin, President of Taxpayers United of America (TUA).
“These Republican traitors don’t deserve to be in office,” said Tobin, “and taxpayers in their districts should run tax-cutting candidates against them in the next primary.”
The Illinois General Assembly enacted the largest permanent income tax hike in the state’s history, raising the personal income tax rate to 4.95 percent from 3.75 percent, and hiking the corporate income tax rate from 7.75 percent to 9.5 percent, which includes the often-overlooked personal property replacement income tax surcharge of 2.5 percent.
“The sole Illinois Senate turncoat was Dale A. Righter (R-55, Matoon). He deserves to get an earful when he meets his constituents back home. Righter should dust off his resume,” said Tobin.
“Ten House Republicans joined the Illinois Hall of Shame by voting with the Democratic majority to override the Governor’s veto of the state income tax increase. Taxpayers should send a message by replacing them in the next Republican primary. The names of these traitors should be on the minds of all of their constituents. They can’t be allowed to hide.”
Tax Villains of the Month – 11 GOP Members of the Illinois General Assembly:
Sen. Dale A. Righter (R-55, Matoon)
Rep. Steven A. Andersson (R-65, Geneva)
Rep. Terri Bryant (R-115, Mt. Vernon)
Rep. Mike Fortner (R-49, West Chicago)
Rep. Norine K. Hammond (R-93, Macomb)
Rep. David Harris (R-3, Mt. Prospect)
Rep. Chad Hays (R-104, Danville)
Rep. Sara Wojcicki Jimenez (R-99, Springfield)
Rep. Bill Mitchell (R-101, Decatur)
Rep. Reginald Phillips (R-110, Charleston)
Rep. Michael D. Unes (R-91, Pekin)
“The $5 billion from this latest state income tax increase will be funneled into the state’s government-employee pension funds, just like previous tax increases. While Illinois taxpayers are fleeing Illinois for states with lower taxes and more prosperous economies, retired government employees in Illinois continue to enjoy lavish, gold-plated pensions, courtesy of the state’s taxpayers.”
“Government-employee pensions devour a quarter of all the tax dollars the state collects. Nearly 100,000 Illinois government retirees collect annual pensions totaling $50,000 or more, while the average annual Social Security retirement benefit for taxpayers is less than $17,000.”
“It’s time for these Republican turncoats to be replaced with legislators who stand up for taxpayers, have fiscal discipline, and take their oath of office seriously,” concluded Tobin.
 

Taxpayers Say Illinois Income Tax Hike is Legal Plunder

Jared Labell | Executive Director
312 427-5128 | 773 766-4947

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 7, 2017

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CHICAGO—With the help of Republican Sen. Dale Righter (Mattoon-55), the Illinois Senate voted 36-19 to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s (R) budget veto on Independence Day.
Two days later, led by longtime Democratic Speaker and Chicago machine boss Michael J. Madigan (Chicago-22), and including 10 Republicans, members of the Illinois House voted 71-42 to override Gov. Rauner’s veto too.
Together, the Illinois General Assembly enacted the largest permanent income tax hike in the state’s history, raising the personal income tax rate to 4.95 percent from 3.75 percent, and hiking the corporate income tax rate from 7.75 percent to 9.5 percent, which includes the often-overlooked personal property replacement income tax surcharge of 2.5 percent.
“The Illinois General Assembly should really be ashamed,” said Jared Labell, executive director of Taxpayers United of America.
“We know how these tax hikes turn out for taxpayers. We’ve seen this one before. The temporary income tax increase in 2011 brought in more than $32 billion in tax revenue, but did nothing to address the state’s growing unpaid bill backlog and rapidly increasing government pension liabilities, now totaling more than $250 billion according to Moody’s,” said Labell.
“Springfield plans to collect an estimated $5 billion in additional state income tax dollars from hard-working Illinoisans, retroactive to July 1. But taxpayers did not get comprehensive pension reform, property tax cuts, or property tax freezes after two years of uncontrolled spending, $15 billion in unpaid bills, and two years of political maneuvering between the legislators and governor.”
“When was the last time you thought putting vast sums of money in the hands of politicians would be a promising idea?” asked Labell.
“This budget deal is no solution to the longstanding problem of decades of financial mismanagement by the state government. Illinoisans – our friends, our families, our neighbors – have suffered enough. We can do better.”
Labell said there are few solutions Illinois taxpayers should pursue before leaving the state.
“Hiring new government employees under defined contribution 401(k)-style pension plans, rather than lavish defined benefit plans, would help the situation going forward, but Illinois is still facing a quarter-trillion dollars in unfunded government pension liabilities. Taxpayers need a constitutional amendment on the November 2018 ballot to repeal the pension-protection clause of the Illinois State Constitution. It creates a two-tiered system in Illinois that is unsustainable and divides residents into two political classes: government employees and non-government employees,” said Labell.
“Until taxpayers can divert their tax dollars to directly fund whatever services they wish and no more, the legislators in Springfield will continue to engage in generational legal plunder with devastating income and property tax hikes.”