Polling of likely voters shows why some Democratic Illinois House members could regret voting for the governor’s graduated income tax.

Despite already shouldering one of the nation’s highest total tax burdens, middle-class Illinoisans would be exposed to extra income taxes under language proposed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

While the governor has touted his plan as a way to stabilize state tax revenues, it would actually do the opposite.

Including cash from an imagined Thompson Center sale in state budgets was so common it became a punchline. But Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a law that finally puts the massive state office complex on the market.

Illinoisans already pay some of the highest taxes in the country at the pump. But a political problem for Gov. J.B. Pritzker could mean they’ll pay even more.

Because the governor doesn’t address state and local governments’ ballooning pension costs, the typical Illinois family will continue to see their tax bills rise.

Without reform, Illinois’ pension problem will continue to force tax hikes while crowding out the core services residents need.

Those pushing the bag tax in Illinois may not care much about the body of research on this topic. They’re looking out for a different kind of green. In a scramble for new revenue and an unwillingness to take on any reform on the spending side, the Statehouse has turned to creative ways to nickel-and-dime residents.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's inconsistent progressive income tax numbers don't add up, which means he will have to pass middle-class tax hikes to raise what he wants to spend.