SPRINGFIELD (March 2, 2017) – Illinois state senators have adjourned without voting on a “grand bargain” budget proposal, effectively stopping a multibillion-dollar tax hike on hardworking Illinois taxpayers. Illinois Policy Institute CEO John Tillman released the following statement:

“This represents a win for taxpayers across the state.

“The ‘grand bargain’ was no bargain at all. It was a multibillion-dollar check for politicians who have not earned the right to more taxpayer money, when they have mismanaged tax dollars year after year. Taxpayers deserve real and meaningful reform, not minuscule reforms in exchange for more of their paychecks. 

“Lawmakers now have a chance to give taxpayers more than just ‘a bargain.’ Together we can create a plan that will revive the economy, grow the tax base, and allow businesses to thrive. This has to be done with structural, pro-growth reforms, and not on the backs of taxpayers.

“The Illinois Policy Institute has devised a balanced budget for the state of Illinois that will foster growth and stability without raising taxes. It isn’t politically easy, but it’s what the hardworking taxpayers and the state of Illinois need. We are ready to work with all lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, to create a plan for a better path forward. This plan needs to include: comprehensive property tax reform, revamped workers’ compensation rules, 401(k)-style retirement plans to address the pension crisis, the alignment of AFSCME’s costs with what taxpayers can afford, and strategic changes to collective bargaining and Medicaid. 

“Any kind of tax increase, temporary or not, would be devastating to an already struggling economy. In 2011, Illinois lawmakers demanded $31 billion from taxpayers in a ‘temporary’ income tax hike, promising it would revive the state’s economy and pay down debt. Financial experts and economists agree that Illinois is worse for the wear. Hiking taxes didn’t work then, and it won’t work now. The first step is recognizing the problem; the second step is fixing it. So let’s actually fix the broken system instead of putting a Band-Aid over it. Lawmakers owe that to their constituents. 

“Now is the time for Illinois to make the tough decisions. It’s not going to be easy, but it needs to be done right. Illinoisans deserve a plan that puts them first.”

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Media contact: Diana Rickert  (312) 607-4977