The Illinois House of Representatives has lacked a quorum for two straight days, rendering it unable to vote to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of the tax hike and budget plan passed by the General Assembly. The Illinois Senate passed the budget plan and tax hike and overrode the governor’s veto on July 4.
The Land of Lincoln needs to end the phony math and restructure its debts and pensions. But legislative incompetence will keep the state in a death spiral.
The Illinois House on July 2 passed Senate Bill 9, which includes a 32 percent income tax hike. State Rep. David McSweeney filed a bill that would repeal that permanent tax hike should it become law.
Though U.S. gas prices have dropped to near all-time lows, Illinois’ state and local taxes make gas costlier in the Land of Lincoln than in neighboring states.
Gov. Bruce Rauner issued an amendatory veto nixing fee hikes from a 911 service reauthorization bill lawmakers sent to his desk, noting Illinoisans already pay some of the nation’s highest taxes on their cellphones. But those fee hikes will become law, as lawmakers have voted to override the governor’s veto.
Illinois’ tax code stands in the way of the state’s economic competitiveness. The combination of high tax burdens and a poor tax structure contributes to the loss of jobs and investment to other states. From a place of former economic dominance, Illinois now ranks 45th in gross state product (GSP) growth over the past decade...