Kentucky

Illinois’ jobs report card

By Michael Lucci
06/30/2014
It’s report-card season in Illinois, as the journey and efforts that began last August have come to fruition for students across the state. State governments can be graded too, in particular on the subject of jobs. How Illinois fares on job creation is critically important for local high school and college seniors, who have just...

Illinois taxpayers worked 118 days into 2014 to pay for taxes

By Benjamin VanMetre
04/28/2014
April 28 marks Illinois’ Tax Freedom Day. This day commemorates the point in 2014 when Illinoisans have worked enough to cover the rising cost of federal, state and local government. From now through the rest of 2014, Illinoisans finally will be able to keep the money they earn. Illinois’ high-tax environment pushed the state’s Tax...

TAGS: income tax, tax freedom day

Illinois unemployment rate falls to 8.7%, continues to lag behind national average

By John Klingner
12/21/2013
Illinois’ unemployment rate fell to 8.7 percent in November from 8.9 percent a month prior, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Illinois still has the fourth-highest unemployment rate in the nation, behind only Nevada, Rhode Island and Michigan. The state gained 9,400 payroll jobs over the month, while the number of unemployed Illinoisans...

TAGS: jobs, unemployment

ADM relocates to Chicago – without state tax incentives

By Michael Lucci
12/19/2013
Archer Daniels Midland, an Illinois-based agribusiness giant, announced today that it will move the company’s global headquarters from Decatur, Ill., to Chicago, despite a tax incentive bill worth $30 million to ADM being stalled in the Illinois General Assembly. The decision keeps 60 to 75 executive-level jobs in Illinois, and comes a week after Office...

TAGS: Archer Daniels Midland, Chicago, cronyism, taxes

Shrinking the Illinois Senate

By Brian Costin
10/08/2013
With 42,336 elected officials as of 1992, Illinois has nearly 12,000 more state and local elected politicians than any other state. Amazingly, with this unprecedented wealth of legislators Illinois hasn’t been able to adequately address some of its most dire problems. Illinois still ranks near the bottom of the nation in numerous key economic indicators,...

TAGS: term limits

Interactive dashboard: State income tax rates

By Benjamin VanMetre
08/28/2013
Illinois’ competitive flat rate income tax is protected in the state’s constitution. But there is a growing movement to increase income taxes in Illinois by swapping out the state’s flat-rate income tax for a progressive tax. The progressive tax plan is being sold as a tax on the rich. But the data tell a different...

To help small businesses, Illinois should make LLC fees fair

08/16/2013
If you want to start a small business in Illinois, there are different forms your new business can take. For example, you can have a sole proprietorship, a partnership, a corporation or a limited liability company, or LLC. The LLC is a relatively recent innovation that has advantages over the corporate form, and it can...

Illinois’ congressional delegation proposes radical changes to government spending

06/10/2013
by Brian Costin When it comes to proposing radical changes to government spending, Illinois Democrats vastly outdo Illinois Republicans. In fact, a group of five liberal Democrats from Illinois propose spending increases that dwarf the spending cut proposals of any Republican in the country by a wide margin. This information comes from a new National Taxpayers...

Wrong way Illinois: January 2013 unemployment worsens compared with neighbors

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner
03/18/2013
The latest BLS unemployment release once again highlights how poorly Illinois is faring compared with its neighbors and the nation as a whole. Illinois’ January unemployment rate jumped to 9 percent, a 0.4 percent increase over December’s rate. Illinois now has the seventh-highest unemployment rate in the nation, with nearly 600,000 Illinoisans unemployed. Meanwhile, the...