CTA Red Line Extension Boondoggle

By on February 11, 2021   /   Illinois, Latest  

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Today Val Zimnicki, Taxpayers United of America’s Director of Outreach gave testimony in front of the CTA Board in regards to expanding the CTA Redline.

 “The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is proposing to extend the Red Line from the existing terminal at 95th/Dan Ryan to 130th Street,” stated Mr. Zimnicki. “This boondoggle is a part of the Red Ahead Program and is estimated to cost $2.3 billion which is the largest amount ever by the CTA to be spent for a particular project. As a quick side-note, have these projects ever come in on time let alone without waste and overspending? This proposed 5.6-mile extension would include four new stations near 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue, and 130th Street, and each new station would include bus and parking facilities. But where is the money coming from? The CTA’s 2021 budget already has a $375 million deficit.” 

“The CTA claims it can pay for half the project and hope the rest of the money will come from the federal government. Actually, Chicago citizens should prepare for new tax line items on their real estate taxes to pay for this. That has been the unfortunate normal procedure that citizens of Chicago and Illinois have endured for virtually every over-budget, behind schedule and unnecessary program devised by legislators and bureaucrats. Their theme seems to be, If we build it, maybe they won’t come, but for sure we will tax them to pay for it.”

“The Red Line extension is unnecessary and expensive. How many people will use it? Projections are always optimistic and always seem to fall short. At a staggering $410 million a mile, will it pay for itself? Indeed, in the last 5 years general transit ridership fell by 2.8 million trips while ride-hailing grew by almost 30 million. Chicago is losing population as its citizens are moving to Indiana, Wisconsin, Florida, Texas and other states where the tax burdens are lower. Indeed, in the last 5 years, general transit ridership fell by 2.8 million trips while ride-hailing grew by almost 30 million.”

“The CTA will also need to purchase private property to make room for the Red Ahead Program. Families will be dislocated and some will not want to sell. Will the CTA enforce condemnation procedures? Will “just compensation” be enforced on individual property owners. Will renters be properly relocated?”

“The CTA wants to extend services to a dwindling population while not all the funding is as yet identified.”

“Will eminent domain take away property rights? What about the inevitable cost overruns and new taxes to pay for them? For these reasons, we oppose the Red Line extension.”

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Governor Pritzker Still Threatens Taxpayers With State Income Tax Increase

By on February 9, 2021   /   Illinois, Latest  
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“I have seen some really bad governors of Illinois since I founded Taxpayers United of America (TUA) in 1976 but—I must tell you—I have never seen an Illinois governor as incompetent and corrupt as Gov. Jay Robert ‘J. B.’ Pritzker (D),” said Jim Tobin, economist and president of TUA.

“Pritzker is a real piece of work. In addition to having zero talent for managing a state like Illinois, he is totally corrupt in a political sense. He is a tool of labor unions, and retired government employees who are living the high life with their lavish, gold-plated taxpayer-funded pensions. He is also a vindictive, mean-spirited individual who has taxpayers in his crosshairs.”

“TUA worked with local taxpayers’ groups across the state to assist them in defeating Pritzker’s income theft amendment in November 2020. Pritzker’s amendment would have converted the state income tax to a graduated income tax. The amendment would have enabled his Democrat thugs in that political cesspool called Springfield to raise income tax rates as high as they want, whenever they want.”

“The money would have gone to prop up the state pension funds for retired government employees, which are circling the drain. Two years ago, Springfield passed a $5 billion state income tax increase, and virtually every dollar was funneled into these state pension funds. The tax increase didn’t even move the needle.”

“Through one of his mouthpieces, Pritzker had threatened that if voters did not pass his income theft amendment, he would support a 20% increase in state income tax rates. He was shocked and outraged when his amendment was crushed at the polls, and, now, he is serious about making good on his threat. In other words, Illinois taxpayers have a big target on their backs.”

“A 20% increase in the state income tax would wipe out the state’s middle class and force even more taxpayers and small businesses to flee the state for states with lower taxes. Illinois taxpayers can’t afford a 20% increase in the state income tax.”

“This year, 2021, will make or break Illinois. If Pritzker’s income tax hike passes, say goodbye to the Illinois you used to know.”

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Pritzker’s Administration: From the People By the Politicians For the Bloodsuckers

By on January 12, 2021   /   Illinois, Latest  
Big J.B. Pritzker is Hungry

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Big J.B. Pritzker is Hungry
PRITZKER IS HUNGRY
HUNGRY FOR YOUR TAX DOLLARS

Picture by Anxelli84 used under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

When Governor Jay Robert “J.B.” Pritzker entered office, he promised to make reforms and tax the hell out of Illinois residents. So far, we haven’t seen many reforms, but we have witnessed a virtual tsunami of taxes coming from Springfield, sweeping away taxpayers. With the blessing of the soon-to-be-ousted Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, the Pritzker administration hiked vehicle registration fees, increased the tax on cigarettes, raised a parking tax, and doubled the gas tax. Additionally, Pritzker almost got away with one of the largest income tax hikes in Illinois history. When voters rejected the tax increase, Pritzker’s administration promised vengeance, with a threatened 20% increase to the Illinois income tax if Pritzker did not get his way.

“Any new state tax increases on anything is unconscionable,” said Matthew Schultz, Executive Director of Taxpayers United of America (TUA). “No matter what you may believe about the lockdowns, it is a fact that they decimated the Illinois economy, and Pritzker has done nothing to alleviate the damage. He has only acted to make things worse.”

“Besides Pritzker’s state income tax increase amendment that taxpayers repudiated last year, Pritzker has overseen another stealth state gasoline tax increase of 11.4 cents that started this year.  Few taxpayers even know about it, because the bill Pritzker signed makes it go up automatically.”

“On top of that, Pritzker announced his plan to withhold federal COVID-19 relief funds from small businesses to help fill the state budget deficit.  Congress approved federal tax relief to help businesses recover some losses during the pandemic. The governor declared that he could suspend those tax breaks in Illinois and still require businesses to pay the state.”

“The worst part? The money Pritzker is trying to bleed from a stone is to be used for retired Illinois government-employee pensions—the primary cause of Illinois’s budget deficit. Tax dollars are being drained from the suffering to support the lavish lifestyle of retired government employees.”

“Pritzker is the kind of man that will trip you up, kick you while you’re down, then sit on you because kicking made him tired. Illinois is worse off since he took office, and everyone knows it. Illinois lost another 80,000 residents in 2020, and it is entirely Pritzker’s fault.”

“There are many solutions that can fix Illinois. The Pritzker status quo of higher taxes is not one of them. Taxpayers already have spoken out once against higher taxes, and woe to the new speaker of the house who will be tasked with trying to raise the state income tax again. It is time for Springfield lawmakers to reject Pritzker, and embrace reality.”

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