Illinois legislators take a stand against a progressive income tax hike
Illinois legislators take a stand against a progressive income tax hike
The Tax Foundation—a nonpartisan, D.C.-based think tank—hosted a press conference in Chicago this afternoon on the effects of a proposed tax increase in Illinois. The Tax Foundation’s analysis of the proposed progressive tax legislation found that: Illinois’ “State Business Tax Climate Index” ranking could fall to 44th from its current 31st ranking if the proposed progressive income...
By Jane McEnaney
Chicago bans e-cigarettes from indoor public places
Chicago bans e-cigarettes from indoor public places
Chicago City Council passed new e-cigarette regulations on Wednesday, 45–4. E-cigarettes will now be banned from indoor public places, including bars and restaurants, as well as within 15 feet of building entrances. Last month it looked like the Chicago City Council would do the right thing for once and back off plans to regulate e-cigarettes...
By Bryant Jackson-Green
Tax Foundation: Progressive income tax would destroy Illinois’ businesses climate
Tax Foundation: Progressive income tax would destroy Illinois’ businesses climate
The Tax Foundation released an analysis of the proposal to dump Illinois’ fair, flat tax in favor of a progressive tax that would force people to pay higher taxes as their income increases. The conclusion was unsurprising: a progressive income tax would deliver a devastating blow to Illinois’ already struggling business climate. The Tax Foundation...
By Benjamin VanMetre
Illinois metro areas still suffering from joblessness
Illinois metro areas still suffering from joblessness
In a repeat of last month’s disappointing employment news, eight of Illinois’ 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or MSAs, saw their unemployment rates rise compared to November 2012, according to November’s metropolitan area unemployment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Decatur and Danville regions are still suffering the highest unemployment in the state,...
By John Klingner
Illinois paid out $266M in improper unemployment insurance payments
Illinois paid out $266M in improper unemployment insurance payments
Earlier this week in a televised White House address President Barack Obama said, “I can’t name a time where I met an American who would rather have an unemployment check than the pride of having a job.” But Obama’s statement is contrary to recent statistics released by the U.S. Department of Labor, which show many...
By Brian Costin
Chicago moves to ban e-cigarettes where smoking is prohibited
Chicago moves to ban e-cigarettes where smoking is prohibited
Last month it looked like the Chicago City Council would do the right thing for once and back off plans to regulate e-cigarettes like tobacco products. On Monday, however, the city’s Joint Health and Finance Committee changed course, voting 14-5 to approve additions to Chicago’s Clean Indoor Air Ordinance that would severely restrict the use...
By Bryant Jackson-Green
2.1 million Americans “enrolled” in ObamaCare exchanges through Dec.
2.1 million Americans “enrolled” in ObamaCare exchanges through Dec.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released its latest ObamaCare enrollment numbers, and it is easy to see why the Obama administration has been so reluctant to reveal detailed enrollment data. About 2.1 million Americans “enrolled” in the ObamaCare exchanges through Dec. 28. That number is far below the Obama administration’s impending...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
Taxpayers to foot big bill for pointless legislator pay stunt
Taxpayers to foot big bill for pointless legislator pay stunt
In July, Gov. Pat Quinn used his line-item veto power to suspend Illinois legislators’ salaries, pledging to withhold their paychecks until they solved the state’s pension crisis. This predictably provoked a lawsuit by House Speaker Mike Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton and other legislators. A Cook County Circuit Court judge then ruled in September that...
Pension ‘fix’ has many problems, but the Pension Clause isn’t one
Pension ‘fix’ has many problems, but the Pension Clause isn’t one
In December 2013, Gov. Pat Quinn signed a pension “reform” bill with many serious flaws. For example, it: barely makes a dent in the state’s unfunded pension liability; guarantees pension funding at the expense of taxpayers and all other government services; creates a fake 401(k) plan; doesn’t means test cost-of-living adjustments, or COLAs; still allows state workers to retire much earlier...
ObamaCare limbo: Thousands of Illinoisans trying to get out of Medicaid while many more trying to get in
ObamaCare limbo: Thousands of Illinoisans trying to get out of Medicaid while many more trying to get in
Last month, USA Today reported that thousands of people are being mistakenly enrolled in Medicaid due to continued glitches in the healthcare.gov website. Now, it is being reported that more than 100,000 people in five states, including 30,000 in Illinois, have not been able to enroll in the Medicaid program directly from the government site....
By Naomi Lopez Bauman
Unemployment rate falls to 6.7% in December on Americans leaving the work force
Unemployment rate falls to 6.7% in December on Americans leaving the work force
The national unemployment rate declined to 6.7 percent in December, down from 7 percent a month earlier, according to the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Payroll jobs increased a paltry 74,000, below consensus estimates of 200,000. November payroll gains were revised up from 203,000 to 241,000. Despite the huge miss in...
By Michael Lucci
Illinois’ sputtering population growth
Illinois’ sputtering population growth
The U.S. Census Bureau announced that Illinois had the sixth-lowest population growth in the nation in 2013. The state’s population growth was just 0.11 percent, adding only 14,000 people to its population of nearly 13 million people. Other large states such as Georgia, North Carolina, Florida and Texas grew seven to 13 times faster than...
Illinoisans one year away from tax relief
Illinoisans one year away from tax relief
This weekend marks the three-year anniversary of the 2011 state income tax increase. But the anniversary also marks another milestone for taxpayers: we are just one year away from tax relief. Illinois taxpayers currently fork over 5 percent of their paycheck to the state. Politicians like to say that 5 percent of your household income...
By Benjamin VanMetre
ObamaCare: A ‘catastrophic’ plan by any other name is still bronze
ObamaCare: A ‘catastrophic’ plan by any other name is still bronze
According to a recent Crain’s Chicago Business analysis, the cost of some “catastrophic” health insurance plans offered under the ObamaCare health insurance exchange in Illinois actually cost more than the supposedly more generous plans in 13 counties across the state. That should not be surprising as the improperly named “catastrophic plan” offered on the exchange...
By Naomi Lopez Bauman