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CHICAGO—Taxpayers United of America (TUA) has released the list of Illinois state legislators who have supported one or more resolutions that seek to add an amendment to the Illinois Constitution to implement a graduated state income tax, announced Jim Tobin, TUA President.
“Led by machine bosses Gov. Patrick J. Quinn (D), House Speaker Michael J. Madigan (D), and Sen. Pres. John Cullerton (D), the tax villains on our list are making a push to raise income taxes on 85% of Illinois taxpayers,” said Tobin.
“This grab for taxpayer wealth has one purpose only: to prop up the bankrupt state government pension system that provides lavish, gold-plated pensions and benefits.”
“These tax villains are expecting 85% of taxpayers to take a huge pay cut so they and their government cronies can continue to rake in higher than average pay, earlier than average retirement, nearly iron-clad job security, multi-million dollar pensions, and deluxe taxpayer-funded health care.”
“How lavish are these pensions for retired government employees? One example is retired government high school teacher, Beverly Lopatka, who retired at the age of 56 and collects annual pension payments totaling $399,652. Over a normal lifetime, that will accumulate to a staggering estimated total pension payout of $11,524,643. The system is unsustainable and downright immoral.”
Tobin added that Illinois has over 10,000 retired government employees who receive annual pensions over $100,000.
“The graduated income tax Quinn, Cullerton and Madigan want will have its top tier as high as 11.5%. In other words, the most productive citizens and businesses that remain in the state will be punished, and those individuals and businesses that have had enough will leave Illinois for states with lower taxes. This will put Illinois into an economic death-spiral.”
“Illinois is second highest in the country in property taxes, second in unemployment, is projected by Moody’s to have the worst job growth in 2014, and, not surprisingly, has the highest number of productive residents moving out of the state.”
“The economic future of Illinois is at stake, and, as Illinois goes, so will the economic future of its citizens. The Democrat members of the state legislature, who have a majority in both houses, must be thrown from office if Illinois is to survive economically. If they remain in power, Illinois could become another Detroit, but on a much larger scale.”
“Below is the complete list of Tax Villains, all of whom are Democrats, that support the graduated income tax, and are ready to sell Illinois down the river. A downloadable copy of the list can be found here.”
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Chicago – Illinois taxpayers are fighting local tax expansion and increase referenda with the help of Taxpayers United of America (TUA). TUA is helping activists in Johnsburg SD 12 and Huntley Park District to defeat property tax increase referenda that would prevent taxpayers from finally getting a property tax cut when current bonds are paid off.
“Government bureaucrats in Huntley Park District and Johnsburg SD 12 are working hard to prove that no tax increase is temporary and no bond debt is ever paid off,” stated Jim Tobin, president of TUA.
“Property taxes in Illinois are second highest in the country while unemployment is nearly the highest and state income taxes were just increased 67%. Taxpayers have the opportunity to get a little relief by when current bonds are paid off, but government bureaucrats can’t have that.”
“Huntley Park District bureaucrats want $19 million and Johnsburg SD 12 wants $41 million. Those are huge property tax increases at a time when we should be cutting property taxes. We are still in a foreclosure crisis and some of the worst economic times of our lives. But that doesn’t stop the government bureaucrats from raising your property taxes for their own benefit.”
“Moody’s has downgraded Johnsburg SD 12 credit rating as recently as January, 2014, citing:
- Depreciating tax base valuations
- Declining enrollment trends
- Growing General Fund deficit balances with reliance on cash-flow borrowing to provide operational liquidity
Which means that the interest rate on these new bonds will be higher. It also means that it’s not a good time to borrow money. SD12 bureaucrats need to cut spending, not increase spending and property taxes.”
“Huntley Park District bureaucrats think it’s a good idea to increase property taxes to pay for new facilities that will be used by a very small percentage of the district’s population.”
“Taxpayers have had enough of the irresponsible spending by government bureaucrats and the willingness to force people out of their homes, if necessary to prop up their own huge salaries and lavish pensions.”
“We expect taxpayers to defeat both of these money grabs by greedy, self-serving government bureaucrats at the March 18 primary election.”
View the Johnsburg ‘Vote No’ Flyer HERE.
View the Huntley Park District ‘Vote No’ Flyer HERE.
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North Aurora – Kane County taxpayers are fighting local tax expansion and property tax increase referenda with the help of Taxpayers United of America (TUA) and Kane Cares About Taxpayers.
“The $13 million Kane County property tax increase referendum on the March 18 ballot is the most egregious grab for taxpayer money and expansion of government that I have seen to date,” stated Rae Ann McNeilly, executive director of TUA and Kane County resident.
“This referendum was not only put on the ballot by the private, not for profit company, Association for Individual Development (AID), who will receive most of the money taken from taxpayers under this measure, but it also creates a new taxing authority with paid board members whose only job is to funnel the money from the taxpayers to AID”.
“These new government board salaries will inevitably grow in number and size, most likely creating even more lavish, taxpayer funded pensions. The last thing we want to do is to add to the government pension problem, especially when they are funded by property tax dollars.”
“Residents of Kane County are already being taxed for these very services. The State of Illinois, the primary source of funding for AID, paid AID $16.4 million in 2013. We are already paying for these services and if this referendum passes, they can and will raise our property taxes again and again.”
“AID is plagued with legal troubles. They have been heavily fined by the State Board of Elections for not following the rules and it has been alleged that they illegally used taxpayer money to fund their initiative to get this referendum on the ballot. The last thing we need is to not only expand government in Illinois, but to also expand corruption.”
“AID has thinly veiled their grab for property taxes with a campaign name intended to tug at the heartstrings of every voter. ‘Show You Care Kane for the Developmentally Disabled’ is nothing more than a siphon of taxpayer wealth to the pockets of the overpaid administrators of AID.”
“The developmentally disabled residents of Kane County need financial support, but it should not be forced through property taxes; it should come from private, voluntary donations. There are so many property owners with their own special needs or financial constraints who will be forced out of their homes if they can’t pay their property taxes. It is immoral to prioritize the needs of one group over all of the others.”
“As a resident of Kane County, I am offended that the developmentally disabled are being exploited and used as a means to fatten the coffers of a private organization and to expand the government, creating yet another taxing body in Illinois where there are already over 6,994 local taxing bodies, the most in the country, and 2,100 more than second place Pennsylvania.”
A copy of our “Vote No” flyer can be downloaded from our website HERE.
