Budget Hawk, meet Tree Hugger: Coalition calls for the end of FutureGen earmark
Budget Hawk, meet Tree Hugger: Coalition calls for the end of FutureGen earmark
by Kristina Rasmussen Today I stood up with a left-right coalition to call for the end of the FutureGen earmark. Details are below. Illinois Farmers, Government Watchdogs, and Environmentalists Hold Press Conference on FutureGen and Its Implications on the Federal Budget and Environment Springfield, Illinois—Today, representatives of Taxpayers for Common Sense, The Heartland Institute, Friends of...
Perfectly progressive
Perfectly progressive
by Kristina Rasmussen Illinois’ flat tax is one of the few bright spots in our state’s tax code. It’s simple, fair and good for growth. And, as NRO’s Kevin Williamson puts it, a flat tax is perfectly progressive: One’s income-tax liability is perfectly proportional to one’s income: At 10 percent, that means $10 on $100 in income, and...
Small business alert: Tax relief is waiting for you?
Small business alert: Tax relief is waiting for you?
by Dan Proft In January of this year, Gov. Pat Quinn, House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton passed the largest tax increase in Illinois history. They proceeded to spend much of 2011 carving out special exceptions to the tax hike for politically powerful Illinois employers. This week, Sears and the CME Group...
Stopping union boss pension abuses: Can the legislature defend needed reforms?
Stopping union boss pension abuses: Can the legislature defend needed reforms?
by Jacob Huebert In its November veto session, the Illinois General Assembly failed to pass the comprehensive pension reform that Illinois needs to avoid fiscal disaster. But at least it took one step in the right direction: It voted to repeal provisions of state law that allowed a few privileged individuals to receive large public pensions for the years they spent...
The simple solution: Repeal the tax hike
The simple solution: Repeal the tax hike
by Ted Dabrowski Earlier this year, lawmakers raised income taxes by a record amount. The tax increases included a hike in the state’s corporate tax rate to 7 percent, up from 4.8 percent. When combined with the personal property replacement tax levied on businesses in Illinois, they now face a corporate tax rate of 9.5...
Personal tax relief is still missing
Personal tax relief is still missing
by Kristina Rasmussen From the sounds of it, House leaders are planning another go on the “tax relief” deal and break it up into two amendments. One for the business measures, and one for the personal measures. My dissatisfaction with Democrats’ previous attempts to offer tax relief to individuals and family is no secret (get my take from...
The lost decade
The lost decade
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Between 2000 and 2010, Illinois lost 434,100 jobs – more than almost any other state. By comparison, Texas gained 910,400 jobs during the same time span. Click on the image below to check out our interactive dashboard to see how Illinois stacked up against other states in job creation over the last decade.
Capitol Update: CME, Sears tax breaks
Capitol Update: CME, Sears tax breaks
A tax relief giveaway was approved by a House committee today. The bill lacks relief for the average Illinois family, however.
Illinois adds jobs yet unemployment rises to 10.1 percent
Illinois adds jobs yet unemployment rises to 10.1 percent
by Emily Dietrich Illinois’ economy added 30,000 jobs in the month of October. However, the state’s unemployment rate ticked up to 10.1 percent. This contradiction leaves many wondering: did the Illinois jobs market improve or not? To evaluate the jobs market, economists rely on two surveys produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS. The...
Budgeting for results
Budgeting for results
by Kristina Rasmussen I’m generally a fan of “performance budgeting” systems — they sure beat mindlessly growing last year’s budget without reference to goals or outcomes. When I’ve looked at good governance initiatives at the federal level, my two main criticisms have been that standards all too often 1) get set low; and 2) encourage more government, not...
Can you be bought off for $1.25?
Can you be bought off for $1.25?
by Kristina Rasmussen From the start of discussions over the “tax relief” package being discussed by the Illinois General Assembly, I’ve been concerned about the lack of apparent relief for the middle class. Of the various provisions in the bill (SB397), the one clear measure aimed at providing broad-based relief was supposed to be the personal exemption increase: Illinois...
Gov. Walker’s reforms are working
Gov. Walker’s reforms are working
by Michael Wille Earlier this year, the Wisconsin legislature passed the Budget Repair Act, a bill that, among other things, limits the collective bargaining rights of Wisconsin teachers. In the most contentious battle regarding public sector unions the state has ever seen, hundreds of thousands of people descended upon the statehouse to protest the actions...
Expanding sales tax collection to remote retailers
Expanding sales tax collection to remote retailers
by Emily Dietrich The debate over sales tax collection for remote retailers and traditional sellers continues to rage. As the Institute reported last month, the state law that forces remote sellers to remit taxes to the Illinois Department of Revenue on behalf of Illinois residents has cost many families in Illinois both jobs and income. Now, federal...