News that Wrigley has started producing Skittles in Illinois has many excited – until they learn just how much Illinois gave in tax incentives to lure 75 new jobs.
From challenging the forced unionization of home caregivers and day care providers to suing to stop Chicago from collecting a “Netflix tax,” the Liberty Justice Center has fought for its clients’ constitutional rights and against illegal taxation.
October saw a former Chicago Public Schools CEO plead guilty to wire fraud and several other instances of criminal charges and civil lawsuits against public officials, as well as crony deals between businesses and government.
Responsibility for Illinois’ sorry state of affairs falls at the feet of House Speaker Mike Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton and their combined 80 years in state government.
The governor’s agenda should be cause for optimism across the state: competitiveness, not cronyism, is the right path forward to spark an Illinois comeback.
The DCEO’s decision to play by its own rules deserves scrutiny not only because of its monetary cost, but because it involves a fiduciary failure symptomatic of governmental disregard for the rule of law. It exemplifies a political culture that must change if Illinois government is to turn the corner and move toward restoration and renewal.
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.