Bill would match Illinois spending to what taxpayers can afford

By Bryce Hill

04/02/2021

A bipartisan ‘spending cap’ bill would allow predictable, sustainable growth in state spending without tax hikes. Illinois is one of the few states without a similar fiscal restraint.

TAGS: budget, spending cap, tax hikes

Illinois state tax revenue is rising, so why is Pritzker pushing small business tax hikes?

By Brad Weisenstein

03/18/2021

COVID-19 prompted $7.5 billion in federal relief, but state revenues were up during the past 8 months. Delayed tax due dates were partly responsible, but revenue even grew where it should have declined. So why should small businesses have to come up with $2 billion more?

TAGS: JB Pritzker, revenue, small business, tax hikes

Illinois lawmakers moving fast to pass $1B in tax hikes on small businesses

By Bryce Hill

03/17/2021

Small businesses got federal tax relief to handle the COVID-19 economic downturn. Now Springfield is trying to take away the same break on state taxes, costing the state’s main job creators $1 billion with hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans still out of work.

TAGS: decoupling, JB Pritzker, small business, tax hikes

Pritzker again after up to $1B tax hike on 440,000 Illinois small businesses

By Bryce Hill

03/16/2021

Federal tax relief was championed so small businesses could better deal with COVID-19 economic impacts. Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants to undo that relief to keep $1 billion in state taxes from Illinois small businesses.

TAGS: corporate income tax, JB Pritzker, small business, tax hikes

Pritzker’s budget pushes 9 new taxes worth nearly $1 billion

By Adam Schuster

02/24/2021

The budget proposal includes no reforms to pensions or other cost drivers, misleadingly labels various business tax increases as ‘closing corporate tax loopholes,’ and relies on gimmicks that conceal true deficits. And there’s a new gas tax.

TAGS: budget, COVID-19, JB Pritzker, tax hikes

Pritzker wants $500M tax hike on Illinois small businesses

By Adam Schuster

01/13/2021

Congress provided tax benefits for business losses in the CARES Act to help offset economic challenges during the pandemic. Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants to undo that relief to raise revenue for Illinois.

TAGS: COVID-19, JB Pritzker, recession, small business, tax hikes

Illinois drivers surrounded by states with lower gas tax rates

By Ben Szalinski

08/05/2020

Illinois doubled the gas tax in 2019, which pushed it to No. 3 in the nation for highest average gas tax.

TAGS: gas tax, tax hikes

Every Illinois metro area loses population for second year in a row

By Bryce Hill

03/27/2020

New census data reveals that for a second year, all 10 metro areas based primarily in Illinois experienced population decline.

TAGS: outmigration, population, tax burden, tax hikes, U.S. Census Bureau

‘Fair tax’ would cost Illinois 56K jobs

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill

02/26/2020

Progressive income tax would essentially wipe out all 2019 employment gains in Illinois, and then some.

TAGS: fair tax, graduated income tax, JB Pritzker, jobs, labor force participation rate, metro areas, pensions, population, progressive income tax, tax hikes, unemployment

Pritzker claims statewide economic growth, but these Illinois metro areas are shedding jobs

By Bryce Hill

02/10/2020

Despite Gov. J.B. Pritzker touting growth in “every major region,” Illinois shed jobs in three metropolitan areas and lagged the national average in seven more.

TAGS: Bloomington, BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, budget, Carbondale, Champaign, Chicago, constitutional amendment, economic competitiveness, economic growth, economics, economy, employment, fair tax, flat tax, government spending, graduated income tax, Great Recession, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, income growth, JB Pritzker, job creation, jobs, labor, Madison County, metro areas, Metro East, Moline, pensions, Peoria, population, progressive income tax, recession, Rockford, spending, spending cap, Springfield, St. Clair County, tax burden, tax hikes, tax increase, unemployment, Urbana, working-age