One-quarter of the revenue generated by Madigan's surcharge comes directly from small businesses.

Myth #1: “The ‘fair tax’ will only affect the rich.”   Don’t be fooled. The ‘fair tax’ is being sold as a tax on the rich. But under the proposal from state Rep Naomi Jakobsson, D-Urbana, the lawmaker who is sponsoring the bill to put a so-called “fair tax,” or progressive tax, amendment on the...

The Rock Island County Government Affairs Committee recently passed a resolution urging lawmakers in Springfield to increase taxes on middle-class families. The sales pitch for a progressive income tax in Rock Island – as well as cities and counties across the state – is that it would reduce taxes for middle-class residents. That’s simply not...

Why do some people support taxing higher incomes at higher percentage rates? Some politicians throughout Illinois would like you to believe it’s to generate revenue – but a recent poll suggests something different. According to a new poll conducted in the U.K., members of their center-left Labour Party were overwhelmingly supportive of taxing higher incomes...

Lawmakers and special-interest groups across Illinois are trying to dupe Illinoisans into paying higher income taxes. They’re trying to convince Illinoisans that a progressive income tax hike is only a tax hike on the rich. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Need proof? Look at both progressive tax proposals on the table in...

With Illinois taxpayers just one year away from the income-tax rate sunset, the push from tax hungry politicians to raise rates again is growing. State politicians are using scare tactics to dupe Illinoisans into paying higher taxes. Their goal is to make the temporary 2011 income tax hike permanent, or worse: increase taxes again with...

The Tax Foundation released an analysis of the proposal to dump Illinois’ fair, flat tax in favor of a progressive tax. The conclusion: a progressive income tax would deliver a devastating blow to Illinois’ already struggling business climate. Illinois had the 17th most competitive tax climate for businesses just a few years ago. But the state’s rank plummeted 14...

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...

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...

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...