Excise taxes have failed to improve Illinoisans’ health while creating an undue burden for those with the least. But lawmakers have yet to kick the habit.
A $1 cigarette tax hike included in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s infrastructure plan will make Illinois’ tax on cigarette packs among the highest in the nation.
Between the push for a graduated income tax, his budget address and newly released capital plan, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has proposed an onslaught of backdoor tax hikes on all Illinoisans.
The upward march of Illinois’ core cost drivers – pensions and government worker health insurance – cannot be paid for by tax hikes on small groups. Without reform, tax hike proposals on all Illinoisans will continue flowing from the Statehouse.
Lawmakers in the Illinois House of Representatives failed to override former Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of the “Tobacco 21” bill in November. Gov. Pritzker’s administration has signaled support.
After years of enhanced revenue from federal aid, a return to the basic principles of budgeting can put Illinois on the path to long-term financial stability