Millionaire Monday: James A. DeLeo

By on September 27, 2021   /   Blog  

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 James A. DeLeo is the very model of a modern IL. politician. He was a former Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, and the Illinois Senate. He was also an Assistant Majority Leader for a period.  

During his time in Illinois politics, DeLeo, like so many other politicians was hostile to taxpayers. Take for example his performance in the 93rd Illinois General Assembly. He voted in favor of SB1725, a new death tax that at the time was estimated to cost taxpayers $200 million in 2004, and $500 million every year after. He voted in favor of SB842, a $59 million heavy machinery tax that targeted Illinois manufacturers, including of all things graphic design companies. He also voted in favor of SB83, a bill that allowed park districts to raise property taxes $10.5 million a year without referendum. When then Governor Blagojevich vetoed the bill, DeLeo voted in favor of the veto override.

DeLeo also had his share of controversies, which is the norm by Illinois standards. DeLeo was indicted by a federal grand jury in the “Operation Greylord” investigation of corruption in Cook County for taking bribes. Though nothing was found regarding bribes, in 1990 he was sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation for claiming $1,700 in deductions he was not entitled to on his 1982 tax return.

Also like so many others, DeLeo is also a pension millionaire. DeLeo receives from his General Assembly Retirement System (GARS) pension an estimated $116,241 a year, with the majority of the money sourced from state taxpayers. DeLeo put $169,550 into his pension, and since his retirement from politics has been given an estimated $1,034,749. By the time he reaches 85, DeLeo is estimated to receive $3,377,802 from his pension.

There are plenty of pension millionaires, and we at Taxpayers United of America are going to put a spotlight on all of them! If taxpayers would like to view the latest annual report on Illinois pensions, there is a link to it on our website: 15th Annual Illinois Pension Report – Taxpayers United Of America

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Pritzker To Kill-Off Small Businesses

By on February 15, 2021   /   Illinois, Latest  
Business closed

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After Illinois governor Jay Robert “J. B.” Pritzker’s failed attempt to raise the Illinois state income tax with a graduated tax, Pritzker (D) has announced a plan to increase business taxes by an estimated $900 million.

“For Pritzker, to finish what he started with his lockdown and finish off small businesses is disgusting, but not out of character for him,” said Matthew Schultz, Executive Director of Taxpayers United of America (TUA). “In between the lockdowns, stealing tax cuts meant to help businesses, and now the closing of unspecified loopholes, Pritzker has shown nothing but contempt for struggling Illinois businesses.”

“Why is Pritzker increasing taxes? It is not for so-called services,” said Schultz. “Pritzker’s only goal is to funnel as much money as he can into the pockets of retired Illinois government employees. Pritzker’s loyalty to this affluent government class is so strong he would rather cannibalize parts of the state budget, than to dare touch their lavish, gold-plated pensions.”

“The Illinois government pension system has been crowding out state and local Illinois government budgets for years, and is the primary reason that politicians have raised Illinois taxes. However, taxes are also the top reason for residents fleeing Illinois. Since 2014, Illinois has seen its population continue to decline, and higher taxes will continue to exacerbate this problem.”

“Every person who leaves Illinois represents one less taxpayer, one less employee, and one less customer for businesses. Every person who leaves is a direct reduction in the size of the Illinois economy. There are increasingly fewer reasons to stay in Illinois, and ever more reasons to move. The state of Indiana, flush with cash from tax refugees fleeing Illinois, is offering money for people to move there. Contrast that with Illinois under Pritzker, which was set to steal another estimated $1.7 billion yearly from taxpayers in 2020.”

“There are solutions to fix Illinois. Pritzker could work to grow the Illinois economy, and thus the tax base. He could reform the Illinois government pension system to be fairer for taxpayers and ease budget problems. He could allow local governments to declare bankruptcy, and reform the budget for future growth. Instead, Pritzker has chosen the willful delusion that Illinois’ taxpayers and businesses can be taxed more forever. Eventually, something has to give, and it is looking more and more that it will be the economic backbone that is small business.”

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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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