Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker advised state agencies to prepare for budget cuts next fiscal year, despite approving $4.7 billion in tax and fee hikes in his first year alone.
By continuing practices such as automatic raises and taxpayer-subsidized platinum health insurance, along with a new $2,500 bonus, the AFSCME contract will transfer more than $3.6 billion in extra compensation from taxpayers to state workers.
Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.