Illinois cannabis taxes among nation’s highest, could keep black market thriving

By Austin Berg
01/09/2020
Springfield lawmakers have yet to learn the lesson that money walks. And it’s not just to other states. Sometimes, it walks past the legal dispensary with a 40% tax rate and into a dealer’s house.

TAGS: black market, Chicago, Cook County, decriminalization, high taxes, Illinois, Illinois General Assembly, legalization, marijuana, medical marijuana, recreational marijuana, Springfield, tax burden, taxes, THC

2019 laws in review, Illinois lawmakers passed both nice and naughty bills

By Mindy Ruckman
12/20/2019
The Illinois General Assembly passed over 600 new laws in 2019. Some helped taxpayers, but many more hurt as they spent $85 billion while doing little to fix the pension crisis.

TAGS: AFSCME: American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, capital plan, consolidation, Cook County, corruption, expungement, free speech, gas tax, government unions, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Illinois General Assembly, JB Pritzker, lawmakers, Luis Arroyo, Martin Sandoval, Open Illinois Checkbook, progressive income tax, public employee unions, record sealing, Springfield, tax hikes, taxes, transparency, vehicle registration, worker freedom

9 new Illinois taxes totaling $1.7B take effect Jan. 1

By Adam Schuster
12/15/2019
Nearly half of the 20 tax and fee hikes passed to support a record $40 billion state budget and $45 billion infrastructure plan hit on New Year’s Day.

TAGS: cannabis, cigarette tax, economy, electric car, electric vehicle, gas tax, graduated income tax, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, Illinois General Assembly, JB Pritzker, license, marijuana, motor fuel tax, net position, net worth, New Year's Day, online sales tax, parking garages, parking tax, pension reform, progressive income tax, registration fee, Spending, spending cap, Springfield, state constitution, tax hikes, tax increase, taxes, trade-in tax, vehicle registration

Repeal Day: Prohibition ended 86 years ago, but Illinois’ alcohol taxes, regulations remain sobering

By Vincent Caruso
12/05/2019
With the ratification of the 21st Amendment, 1933 marked the end of Prohibition in the United States. Illinois, however, has continued to serve a cocktail of prohibitive regulations on alcoholic beverages.

TAGS: alcohol tax, Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois, bootlegging, brewery, Bruce Rauner, capital plan, Chicago, cocktail, craft beer, distillery, Hospitality Business Association of Chicago, Illinois, Illinois General Assembly, JB Pritzker, licensure, Liquor Control Act, liquor laws, midwest, over-regulation, prohibition, regulation, repeal, Sara Feigenholtz, soda tax, taproom, taxes, Toni Preckwinkle, trade, vape ban, vaping, Wine & Spirits Distributors of Illinois, winery

As nation celebrates small businesses, Illinois considers taxing them more

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill
11/27/2019
Most new jobs in Illinois are created by small businesses, yet state leaders are asking voters to hurt them by raising taxes on these employment dynamos.

TAGS: BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, business climate, C-corp, capital, capital investment, entrepreneurs, Great Recession, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, investment, JB Pritzker, job creation, jobs growth, levy, mom and pop, neighboring states, over-regulation, pension reform, progressive income tax, recovery, regulation, S-corp, small business, small business saturday, spending cap, tax climate, taxes, tennessee, Texas, wages

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Power in payments: Illinois can help unbanked residents, save money by adopting best practices in payment methods

Each year, tens of billions of dollars flow through Illinois state government.1 These flows all depend on methods of payment. In deciding on those payment methods, policymakers must consider a number of important factors, including security controls, cost effectiveness, accessibility, speed and allowance for choice. This report shows that by adopting best practices across all...

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Policy lessons from Illinois’ exodus of people and money

By J. Scott Moody, Wendy Warcholik
07/07/2014

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016