An amendment that would allow lawmakers to scrap Illinois’ constitutionally protected flat income tax and replace it with graduated tax rates will appear as a referendum question on voters’ 2020 ballots.

In a party-line vote that even fellow lawmakers were unaware of, Illinois House Democrats passed out of committee a progressive income tax rate structure that would take effect should Gov. J.B. Pritzker succeed in scrapping Illinois’ constitutional flat income tax protection.

Illinois can do it the old way and raise taxes to deliver pork projects. Or Illinois can be smart and make each tax dollar work hard to deliver projects that help residents and the economy.