Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s push for his “fair tax” is headed for rejection by Illinois voters. State lawmakers now must face the public pension debt driving the state’s fiscal crisis.
Every state without an income tax has lower property taxes than Illinois. The progressive tax amendment includes no property tax reforms, so there’s no guarantee property taxes won’t rise as income taxes rise.
‘Fair tax’ backers funded by Gov. J.B. Pritzker created the illusion of bipartisanship by using a former public employee union staffer who collects a generous taxpayer-funded pension due to a loophole in state law.
The Illinois Federation of Teachers in 2021 spent 190 times more on Chicago-area teachers than it did on teachers south of Interstate 80. That could be why IFT membership has shrunk nearly 18% since 2017.