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

By Adam Schuster

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

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

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

Chicago’s 2020 budget proposal was never truly balanced

By Adam Schuster, Bill Reveille

11/26/2019

Faced with the impossible task of balancing Chicago’s budget without pension reform, Mayor Lori Lightfoot is forced to partially rely on phantom cuts and revenues.

TAGS: bonds, budget, CAFR: Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, Chicago, Chicago City Council, Chicago City Hall, constitutional amendment, CTA: Chicago Transit Authority, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, deficit, emergency fee, homelessness, housing market, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, interest rates, library, Lori Lightfoot, Lyft, property taxes, Rahm Emanuel, real estate, real estate transfer tax, tax hikes, tax increase, TIF: Tax Increment Financing, Uber

Pritzker signs Illinois budget out of balance by up to $1.3 billion

By Adam Schuster

06/11/2019

Contrary to claims from both Republicans and Democrats, and despite raising nearly $1.1 billion in new taxes and fees for operations, the fiscal year 2020 budget is out of balance by between $574 million and $1.3 billion.

TAGS: balanced budget requirement, budget, deficit, fair tax, graduated income tax, income tax, JB Pritzker, progressive income tax, taxes

Why Illinoisans can’t trust Pritzker’s tax promises

By Austin Berg

03/14/2019

Neither taxpayers nor lawmakers should believe Pritzker when he makes claims of tax cuts – specifically that 97 percent of Illinoisans would see one – as part of his effort to scrap Illinois’ constitutionally protected flat income tax.

TAGS: budget, deficit, fair tax, income tax, JB Pritzker, municipal pensions, pension guarantee, pensions, progressive income tax, taxes

False choice for Illinois: Pritzker’s budget ignores commonsense alternative

By Adam Schuster

03/12/2019

Facing down a $3 billion deficit, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker offered an unbalanced budget including more tax hikes, borrowing and spending. He claimed severe cuts were the only alternative, but another option exists.

TAGS: balanced budget requirement, budget, deficit, economy, fair tax, income tax, JB Pritzker, pensions, progressive income tax, taxes

Pritzker’s first year deficit $440 million larger than expected because he plans to spend $440 million more

By Adam Schuster

02/19/2019

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said his first year deficit is $3.2 billion, but he intends to spend hundreds of millions more than planned under previous baseline budgeting.

TAGS: balanced budget requirement, budget, deficit, GOMB: Governor's Office of Management and Budget, JB Pritzker, minimum wage, spending, spending cap

Illinois state spending has grown nearly 50% faster than taxpayer incomes

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill

02/18/2019

A spending cap proposal filed by state Sen. Tom Cullerton, D-Villa Park, would ensure growth in government spending doesn’t exceed taxpayers’ ability to pay for it.

TAGS: budget, debt, deficit, income tax, personal income, spending, spending cap, taxes, Tom Cullerton

In budget bind, Decatur cuts golf sponsorship

05/15/2018

The Decatur City Council moved to stop paying $20,000 to sponsor a golf tournament with the village of Forsyth, a sensible move for a shrinking city operating on a budget deficit.

TAGS: budget, Decatur, deficit, Macon County, outmigration, property taxes, taxes

How to mislead Illinoisans into accepting higher taxes

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill, Joe Tabor

05/03/2018

A new report would have Illinoisans believe that a progressive income tax means tax cuts and economic growth. Illinois lawmakers’ tax-and-spend tendencies and evidence from all 50 states say otherwise.

TAGS: CTBA: Center for Budget and Tax Accountability, deficit, GDP: gross domestic product, graduated income tax, income tax, jobs, progressive income tax, Ralph Martire, spending, spending cap, taxes

deficit

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

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

Chicago’s 2020 budget proposal was never truly balanced

Pritzker signs Illinois budget out of balance by up to $1.3 billion

Why Illinoisans can’t trust Pritzker’s tax promises

False choice for Illinois: Pritzker’s budget ignores commonsense alternative

Pritzker’s first year deficit $440 million larger than expected because he plans to spend $440 million more

Illinois state spending has grown nearly 50% faster than taxpayer incomes

In budget bind, Decatur cuts golf sponsorship

How to mislead Illinoisans into accepting higher taxes

Chicago Forward 2026: A pro-growth plan to end city budget deficits

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students