Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker will not selectively hand out infrastructure projects as a way to buy support for proposals to increase taxes and fees, should he stick to his word.

In a party-line vote that even fellow lawmakers were unaware of, Illinois House Democrats passed out of committee a progressive income tax rate structure that would take effect should Gov. J.B. Pritzker succeed in scrapping Illinois’ constitutional flat income tax protection.

Between the push for a graduated income tax, his budget address and newly released capital plan, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has proposed an onslaught of backdoor tax hikes on all Illinoisans.

The upward march of Illinois’ core cost drivers – pensions and government worker health insurance – cannot be paid for by tax hikes on small groups. Without reform, tax hike proposals on all Illinoisans will continue flowing from the Statehouse.

The current progressive income tax proposal would fail to pay down the state's unfunded liability while damaging Illinois' economy.

The Illinois House Revenue & Finance Committee approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would scrap taxpayers’ sole protection against endless income tax hikes.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office is using a major capital bill as a vehicle to grease lawmakers for a progressive income tax amendment. But the tax hikes to pay for it would make Illinoisans’ gas tax burden the second highest in the nation.

An advocacy group backing Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “fair tax” plan has argued a progressive income tax hike won’t affect middle-class Illinoisans. But its most recent report shows a middle-class tax hit is likely.

With taxpayer opposition intensifying, the governor’s vision for a $3.4 billion progressive income tax hike is slipping away.