Despite proponents’ claims, Amendment 1 would give union rights only to state and local government workers. Yet a new ad by proponents implies it will help nurses in all sectors care for their patients.
Despite proponents’ claims, Amendment 1 would give union rights only to state and local government workers – who make up just 7% of Illinois adults. It would give $2,100 property tax hikes to everyone.
Illinois’ largest state worker union has a long history of demanding higher taxes. Now AFSCME is funding a state constitutional amendment campaign that will hike property taxes statewide.
A proposed change to the Illinois Constitution would effectively transfer power over taxpayer money to government worker unions. The trend of property tax hikes would likely grow even worse during the next four years.
Illinois has 6,032 local governments, the most in the nation by a wide margin – and that excludes 859 school districts. It’s the main reason Illinoisans pay the nation’s second-highest property taxes.
Population decline has shrunk Illinois’ workforce and the relative size of the state economy. Attracting more workers from other states starts with lowering the cost of living, decreasing pension costs and debt, and improving the state’s social services.
Illinois leads the nation in local government bloat, with over 6,000 taxing bodies. The Citizen’s Empowerment Act, sponsored by Illinois House Rep. Jonathan Carroll, would make it easier for Illinois taxpayers to dissolve unnecessary layers of government.
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.