Outside money pours into communities to pass sales-tax hikes
The public school district in Jacksonville, Illinois, is criticizing fellow Illinoisans for educating residents about a significant sales-tax increase proposal on the ballot – a tax increase that would drive up the cost of gas, clothes, prepared food, electronics and more. School district officials called the Illinois Policy Institute a “Chicago based” group, when we’re...
The public school district in Jacksonville, Illinois, is criticizing fellow Illinoisans for educating residents about a significant sales-tax increase proposal on the ballot – a tax increase that would drive up the cost of gas, clothes, prepared food, electronics and more.
School district officials called the Illinois Policy Institute a “Chicago based” group, when we’re actually next-door in Sangamon County. We were founded in Springfield in 2002 and have long been involved with promoting freedom and fairness for downstate residents.
Regardless, it appears not being “local” is just fine when you come down on the side of supporting the tax increase.
Case in point – look at the campaign finance filings of the pro-tax-hike ballot committee for July through September. Support came from:
- Bloomington (McLean County): $500 from architects
- Decatur (Macon County): $500 from architects
- Champaign (Champaign County): $500 from architects
- Springfield (Sangamon County): $3,250 from developers and architects
- Mt. Pulaski (Logan County): $500 from architects
- Monticello (Piatt County): $500 from architects
- Bluffs (Scott County): $250 from a lending institution
- Winchester (Scott County): $500 from a utility
Why would all of these donors from outside the community care about these measures? Because these are financial institutions, architectural firms and the like that would potentially stand to profit off of school construction.
Where is the outrage about these folks’ “nonlocal” status?
The pro-tax-hike group’s focus on Morgan County taking in a lot of outside money is not unique. It’s the same with the group promoting a sales-tax hike in Calhoun, Greene, Jersey and Macoupin counties. Support came from:
- Collinsville (Madison County): $400 from environmental consultants
- St. Louis (not even in Illinois): $450 from architects
- Hillsboro (Montgomery County): $500 from engineers
- Springfield (Sangamon County): $1,000 from architects
- Belleville (St. Clair County): $500 from a teachers union
- Edwardsville (Madison County): $1,000 from construction
Not only is a lot of support from these committees coming from outside the affected areas, but these committees are also vastly outspending the “no tax hike, please” side, often many times over.
People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones about “big money from the outside.”
Prepared by the Illinois Policy Institute.