[AT7Saluki]

Full title: Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton says lawmakers will be forced to consider 20% tax hike if voters nix graduated tax amendment.

So ... if we don't vote to raise taxes, they're going to raise taxes. Got it.

[ClearCase_guy]

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “fair tax”

I'm thinking that this is not the Fair Tax I'm looking for ...

[SES1066]

In spite of DECADES of Democratic rule of the Illinois Legislature, the easily seen “cause and effect” appears to elude the voters. One party rule by the ‘D’s results in rewarding THEIR VOTER BASE with budget-busting contracts. Floating bonds to make future taxpayers pay these rewards = free money then.

Now these payments have come home to roost and that means taxes must be raised. What a surprise! There is a fix though, expel Cook County/Chicago and make it pay for its own sins! Then listen to its screams!

[Mr. K]

I wonder if they considered REDUCING SPENDING????

[The Louiswu]

What can the citizens of Illinois realistically do? They’re screwed.

[ConservativeMind]

All options only hit reportable income earners.

All illegal crime proceeds, welfare recipients, tax dodgers and people sitting at home not working PAY NOTHING.

What kind of perverse incentive is that for a state’s income?

[econjack]

It amazes me that, in any discussion of a balanced budget at any level of gov't, there is never a discussion on the other avenue to balance a budget: less spending. Frank Beard's book, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution points out that there are only two required function of gov't: 1) the provision of social overhead capital (i.e., goods deemed necessary by society but not provided by private markets, like a standing army), and 2) policing of property rights (e.g., a legal system). Then look at a program to give away free cell phones, and it's easy to see how politicians use our money to buy their job security. Time to clean house...

[central_va]

Illinois should issue state “script” only usable at state sponsored stores. State employees and pensioner should be paid in script. State grocery stores will only sell whole foods and not junk, sugar and pre processed foods.

[HangnJudge]

VERY glad I live in E. Tenn.
One of most fiscally responsible states in the union
To the North, Kentucky, not so much...

[jdsteel]

“ To adequately address the budget crisis under our current tax system...”

When I hear BS like that it makes me crazy. Don’t they understand the difference between “income” and “expenses”?

Oh, I know it’s all semantics combined with Marxism...but it’s idiotic none the less.

[null and void]

Rule of thumb: The nicer a name a bill is given the worse it is.

Example: any bill with “Fair” in the title, will have grossly unfair provisions in the full text...

[ConservativeMind]

Every time tax money is raised, Illinois’ government says “Since we now have breathing room, we are going to spend money on these worthy, additional programs we didn’t talk about before now.” Then they deficit spend on giving legal aid to Antarctic penguins or the like and the following year they say, “We have to raise taxes because we have another shortfall.”

They never address the stupid spending or deal with the pension issues. They always have new, expensive pet projects and always need increased taxes to justify it all. They aren’t even worried about junk bond status, because there’s always someone left in the state to tax more. If property is abandoned, the state takes that over and sells it to another person to then pay taxes, so money enters government coffers several ways when that happens.

It’s a beautiful racket that all liberal-run states adore.

[Mr. Jeeves]

“To adequately address the budget crisis under our current tax system, lawmakers will be forced to consider raising income taxes on all Illinois residents by at least 20% regardless of their level of income...”

How about a slight edit?

“To adequately address the budget crisis under our current tax system, lawmakers will be forced to consider cutting spending by at least 20% regardless of the political impact of the recipients’ level of whining...”

[twoputt]

What is hidden in this proposal, besides a higher tax rate, is the elimination of the legislators to get taxpayer approval for any future tax hikes.

Sinister, yes?

[ridesthemiles]

The actual thought of reducing spending just NEVER occurs to them, does it???

[Wuli]

The inevitable results of a de facto one-party “progressive” state.

In a de facto one-party Progressive state, with that state and that one party in a symbiotic self-protection pact, there is no brake on government, nothing the people can rely on to prevent corruption, corruption by total political partisanship in all that the government does. Government is turned into a machine to protect the party that runs it, with that being the prime objective, turned into the prime directives of that government.

[VTenigma]

Lawmakers will be forced to consider 20% tax hike if voters nix graduated tax amendment

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Will lawmakers be forced to consider a 20% reduction in government?

[Deplorable American1776]

Dearest Illinois citizens: If you move out of your corrupt state, leave your LIBERALISM/SOCIALISM behind. Thank you! (Signed) Citizens of states you are moving to!!