by Kristina Rasmussen I don’t smoke. Never have. But I still oppose tobacco tax hikes. Why? The related revenue is used to run up government spending. Yet smoking is decreasing, and so are revenues. Non-smokers could be on the hook for general tax increases to fill the gap. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle turned this...
The problem Cook County is facing a budget shortfall. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has rightfully earned political goodwill for proposing serious changes to how county officials spend taxpayers’ money. She has challenged public employee union bosses to come to the negotiating table, and is utilizing private sector contractors to keep costs low. However,...
by Kristina Rasmussen Much to the dismay of families and businesses across the state, the Illinois General Assembly passed the largest tax hike in Illinois’ history earlier this year. People are hurting as a result. Income once earned for the household budget is now sent to government. The job market remains weak. Businesses understandably want relief....
by Kristina Rasmussen The Cook County Board of Commissioners is looking at a broad array of tax and fee hikes to make up for a budget shortfall, and significant increases for wine, beer, and liquor taxes are all on the menu. These tax hikes pose a direct threat to local bar and restaurant operators, many of...
by John Tillman There is only one way out of the worldwide debt crisis, but so far Illinois’ political leaders do not seem to understand what that path is. Here is what the solution is not: The solution is not increasing taxes. The General Assembly and Gov. Quinn did that in January by implementing a...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson This time of year, children go door-to-door dressed in costumes to ask their neighbors for treats. Throughout the year, governments at the federal, state and local level provide services and programs that many look upon as treats. But considering the cost and inefficiency of some of these programs and services, are these...
by Emily Dietrich “If we repeal this law, these jobs will come back to Illinois,” said Brian Littleton, founder and CEO of ShareASale, at a press conference announcing the introduction of legislation to repeal Illinois’ affiliate nexus law, sometimes referred to as the “Amazon tax.” Wednesday’s press conference focused on the thousands of Illinois businesses...
by Mark Cavers Earlier this year, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker ushered in a set of reforms to his state’s budget and personnel system. At the time, opponents said the reforms would be catastrophic. This month, the governor launched a website showing what the reforms have actually meant for local governments and taxpayers. According to Gov. Walker, local...
In just ten years, the Illinois General Assembly pushed the burden of billions in government spending onto Illinois’ future generations. Official estimates put Illinois’ unfunded pension liability at $85.6 billion. But that amount does not take into account the $25.8 billion in pension obligation bond (POB) payments still outstanding, which have a net present value...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson As Illinois state legislators head back to Springfield for the veto session next week, pension reform is the hot topic on everyone’s mind. The time for reform is now, but what solutions are available to legislators? The right way: Taking the difficult, but necessary steps towards real pension reform that ensures there will be money...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Earlier today, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act is not going to be implemented. The controversial long-term care program is part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and has been under scrutiny since before the law was enacted....
Public employee unions balked at pension reform when it was introduced this spring because they claim government workers already have “paid their fair share” by kicking in “8 percent, 9 percent or more from each paycheck” to their retirement funds. But when it comes to public school teachers in Illinois, paying their own way to...
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson Yesterday, Chicago’s new mayor, Rahm Emanuel, released his first budget proposal. In his prepared budget address, he acknowledged that Chicago’s history of unbalanced budgets could not continue, and he recognized that “What we cannot do, however, is to protect the status quo by asking more of Chicago’s taxpayers. Raising taxes will drive more people...
by Kristina Rasmussen October 15 — this Saturday — is the last day of Illinois’s amnesty program for consumers to pay use tax for Internet purchases where sales tax was not collected. From an oldState Journal-Register article: The state will offer a sales tax amnesty from Jan. 1 through Oct. 15. Under legislation passed last year and...