Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is arguing that Illinois should adopt income tax rates similar to neighboring Wisconsin and Iowa as a way to be more “competitive,” even though adopting those rates would mean tax hikes for middle-income families.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker claims his progressive income tax will only affect the rich. But Illinoisans making as little as $26,100 would see an income tax hike under rates Pritzker cited in his budget address.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker claims his progressive income tax will only affect the rich. But using the rates of states he wants to use as models, middle-income Illinoisans would see significant tax hikes.

While progressive tax proponents champion their “tax on the rich,” middle-income families in Lake County – home to the state’s highest property taxes – could see a big tax hike under income tax models praised by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

On his first full day in office, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced he will grant costly automatic pay raises to Illinois’ state workers despite a current budget deficit of more than $1 billion.

The Land of Lincoln has a new governor, but the state’s deep-seated problems remain. Here are five reforms that newly inaugurated Gov. J.B. Pritzker could pursue to begin setting the state on the right fiscal path.

The outgoing Illinois Senate voted with the House in approving large pay increases for state department heads. The bill now heads to the governor’s desk, though likely not until J.B. Pritzker is sworn in.