It’s understandable that Illinoisans complain about longstanding “Democrat rule” in the state legislature. But the real problem might be more about personnel than partisanship.
Lawmakers, including 37 lame duck legislators, on Nov. 13 convened in Springfield for a veto session likely to feature political pensions and unfunded mandates.
AFSCME Council 31, its PAC and AFSCME headquarters are major political players, funneling millions of dollars every year to Democrats or self-proclaimed progressive organizations.
An idea to fix Illinois’ fiscal woes with a statewide property tax made headlines in May. Voters in Lake County will be asked whether state lawmakers should have the power to impose such a tax.
Voters in DuPage County Nov. 6 will give their opinions on a vehicle miles tax, a policy gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker and Illinois Senate President John Cullerton have entertained.
While J.B. Pritzker has not released a detailed tax plan of his own, reasonable cost estimates suggest the tax hike required to pay for the candidate’s spending promises would require doubling Illinois’ state income tax rate and cost the state an estimated 132,000 jobs and $31.3 billion in forgone GDP.
Illinois taxpayers are fed up and overtaxed. Residents have little faith that their governments are spending their tax dollars well – and for good reason. The state’s most recent spending plan is out of balance by as much as $1.5 billion, and includes $54.2 million in wasteful spending and $27 million in pork-barrel spending. The...
As a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc., most online purchases in Illinois will now be subject to automatic collection of the state’s 6.25 percent use tax.
The Chicago firefighters pension fund has filed claims with the Illinois comptroller for $3.3 million in shorted pension contributions, an action that could worsen city finances and service delivery.