Illinois takes on tax day with a resolution opposing the progressive income tax
The good news: today state Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, introduced a measure that opposes efforts to pass the next multibillion dollar tax hike in Illinois a progressive income tax.
Ben VanMetre
Senior Budget and Tax Policy Analyst
Tax season comes to a bittersweet end today as Illinoisans wrap up another year of living and working in a high-tax state.
The bad news: Illinoisans are still forking over more of their income due to the record income tax hike of 2011.
The good news: state Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, introduced a measure that opposes efforts to pass the next multibillion dollar tax hike in Illinois a progressive income tax.
The temporary tax hike of 2011 is legally required to sunset to 3.75 percent from 5 percent in 2015.
Unfortunately, Gov. Pat Quinns $35.6 billion budget proposal makes none of the spending reforms necessary to allow the tax hike to sunset. In fact, legislation was already proposed this year that would make the tax hike permanent.
And now lawmakers are eyeing another revenue grab through a progressive income tax.
The progressive tax is being sold as a tax on the rich, but it would cause tax increases for 85 percent of Illinoisans.
Thats why the Illinois Policy Institute applauds efforts to oppose a progressive income tax and will continue its work to debunk myths surrounding this proposal to show why it would be bad tax policy for the state and its residents.