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On Tuesday, Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker said that he’s asked the heads of state agencies to prepare for 5% cuts to budgets for 2020 and 10% cuts the following year.

“Any cut to the Illinois state budget is a win for taxpayers,” said Jim Tobin, President of Taxpayers United of America (TUA). “However, a broad cut to the state budget is not enough.”

“The state of Illinois’s financial woes are due to the vast amount it spends on lavish, overpromised retired government employee pensions. Every year former Illinois government employees eat up even more of the state’s budget. In fact, the primary motivation for a $5 billion state income tax hike that passed a few years ago was to transfer wealth from taxpayers to the black hole that is the Illinois pension funds.”

“This is why Pritzker is really cutting the budget, he wants to divert pay from current Illinois government employees to retired Illinois government employees. It is also why Pritzker still wants to increase taxes with an amendment to the Illinois constitution for a graduated income tax increase.”

“Pritzker’s income tax increase amendment, better described as an income theft amendment, is not what Illinois needs. Illinois taxpayers should vote no on November 3rd on the proposed amendment change, and demand Pritzker to cut spending further.”