5 reasons why Illinois’ latest spending plan insults taxpayers

By Adam Schuster

05/29/2020

Lawmakers made no serious attempt to balance the new budget, instead counting on a federal bailout. They accepted an $1,800 raise for themselves, while only making significant cuts to education.

TAGS: budget, government spending, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, special session

Illinois lawmakers returning to deal with $7B budget hole, COVID-19 fallout

By Mindy Ruckman

05/19/2020

What to watch for as the Illinois General Assembly convenes for the first time in more than two months.

TAGS: budget, coronavirus, COVID-19, progressive income tax, special session

Pritzker wrongly claims an Illinois budget surplus ‘if not for coronavirus’

By Adam Schuster, Ben Szalinski

04/30/2020

The budget was not balanced, and Illinois has not balanced a budget for nearly two decades. Pretending Illinois had no issues before COVID-19 won’t help it recover.

TAGS: budget, coronavirus, COVID-19, deficit, Donald Trump, JB Pritzker

Why Congress should reject Illinois’ $44 billion bailout request

By Adam Schuster

04/23/2020

Two decades of fiscal mismanagement have left state finances ill-prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic. Congress should condition any additional aid for troubled states on taxpayer protections that ensure pensions are solvent, accounting is realistic and budgets are balanced.

TAGS: bailout, budget, coronavirus, COVID-19, debt, Don Harmon, JB Pritzker, pensions, U.S. Congress

Bill proposes to tie Illinois state spending to what taxpayers can afford

By Ben Szalinski

03/06/2020

Lawmakers routinely spend faster than taxpayers’ incomes grow. A new bill would put Illinois with the majority of states that limit taxes or spending.

TAGS: borrowing, budget, constitutional amendment, deficit, government spending, pensions, spending cap, tax increase

Pritzker budget relies on $800M in legally questionable accounting gimmicks

By Adam Schuster

03/05/2020

Illinois law requires the governor to propose a budget balanced with existing revenues. To do so, Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposes cutting aid owed local governments, raiding the road fund, letting health insurance costs pile up and withholding taxpayers’ refunds.

TAGS: accounting, budget, JB Pritzker, pensions, progressive income tax

Pritzker’s accounting gimmicks can’t fix pension crisis, but real reform can

By Adam Schuster

02/21/2020

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker previously floated a pension plan that included pawning-off state assets, taking on more high-interest debt and reducing pension funding before walking back the plan amid criticism. Here’s a real solution.

TAGS: bonds, budget, COLA: cost of living adjustment, credit rating, fair tax, Illinois Constitution, Illinois Department of Revenue, JB Pritzker, Moody's Investor Service, pensions, progressive income tax, Standard & Poor's

Pritzker claims statewide economic growth, but these Illinois metro areas are shedding jobs

By Bryce Hill

02/10/2020

Despite Gov. J.B. Pritzker touting growth in “every major region,” Illinois shed jobs in three metropolitan areas and lagged the national average in seven more.

TAGS: Bloomington, BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, budget, Carbondale, Champaign, Chicago, constitutional amendment, economic competitiveness, economic growth, economics, economy, employment, fair tax, flat tax, government spending, graduated income tax, Great Recession, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, income growth, JB Pritzker, job creation, jobs, labor, Madison County, metro areas, Metro East, Moline, pensions, Peoria, population, progressive income tax, recession, Rockford, spending, spending cap, Springfield, St. Clair County, tax burden, tax hikes, tax increase, unemployment, Urbana, working-age

State of Illinois previously owned helicopter in crash that killed Kobe Bryant

By Austin Berg

01/26/2020

The state sold the helicopter in 2015 to ease budgetary pressures.

TAGS: budget, credit rating, Illinois, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, Moody's Investor Service, NBA: National Basketball Association, Springfield

Tax on Uber, Lyft rides in downtown Chicago set to triple Jan. 1

By Vincent Caruso

12/09/2019

Chicagoans will pay higher taxes on rideshare trips in 2020 as part of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s first budget.

TAGS: budget, Chicago, Chicago Department of Transportation, congestion tax, CTA: Chicago Transit Authority, fees, Illinois Constitution, Lyft, outmigration, population, taxis, transportation, Uber