Removing the progressive tax question from the Nov. 3 ballot would give over 100,000 small businesses some certainty as they struggle to recover from the COVID-19 shutdown.

Small businesses face a potential income tax hike nearly 5 times larger than corporations under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “fair tax” amendment.

An Illinoisan making $12,400 a year would still pay nearly $1,800 in state and local taxes under the governor’s plan – a higher share of their income than residents of all but two states.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, House Speaker Mike Madigan and other Illinois leaders were banking on a federal bailout long before COVID-19. How else can one explain their recklessness?