Why Repealing the Tax Hikes Is Important

In one of my first media appearances following the tax increases, I noted that the Institute would immediately begin to work on repealing them. Some have wondered if this makes any sense ... Here are some reasons why it does.

by John Tillman

The Institute, along with a growing number of allies, has launched a Repeal the Tax Hike campaign. Please go to  ww.RepealtheTaxHike.com if you have not yet signed the petition. We have more than 4,200 signatures already, a great result in just a few days for a state-based petition drive.
In one of my first media appearances following the tax increases, I noted that the Institute would immediately begin to work on repealing them. Some have wondered if this makes any sense, since the Democrats still control both chambers of the General Assembly. Here are some reasons why it does:

• We have opposed these specific tax hikes for the past two years. Since we know tax hikes are not the solution to Illinois’s problems, why should we go silent just because of a [temporary] setback pulled off at 1 a.m. by a lame duck legislature?
• A majority of legislators in both the House and Senate have gone on record as against the tax hike in the new, 97th General Assembly. Of course, with Democrats Speaker Madigan and Senate President Cullerton in charge, the likelihood of a vote in 2011 is nil, but we should work to increase the bipartisan support against the tax hike so the votes are there if – in the not so distant future – there is leadership in charge that allows a vote.
• It took Gov. Quinn and his allies two years to rally just enough support for the hikes. If it takes us two years to repeal them, that is a worthy fight. You have to begin to work now to build support for 2013, when a new General Assembly will be seated. And remember, primaries for the 2012 elections are just over a year away.
• The tax hike will not solve the problem; the deficits and overspending will continue. We must keep this point front and center for the day when the big spenders come back saying the temporary part of the hike must be extended and rates must rise even more. Gov. Quinn’s Budget Director, David Vaught, has already begun hinting at this.
• Finally (though I could go on and on), not only should this tax hike should be repealed, we believe it is a worthy goal to work to eliminate income taxes altogether in Illinois. Nine states have no income taxes and those nine states are kicking the butts of the other 41 states in job creation and growth in personal income. We should aspire to imitate the winners, not the losers.

Advocates of a tax hike repeal must have an alternative so they can answer the question, “How do you solve the state’s problems without raising taxes?” The Institute’s foundational proposal is Budget Solutions 2011. In the coming months, that document will be updated for FY 2012. Other proposals offering a clear alternative to the tax and borrow mentality in Springfield also are forthcoming.

The good news is many rank-and-file Democrats opposed and will continue to oppose the tax increases. Every returning Republican voted against the tax hike. Every newly elected Republican campaigned against a tax hike, and several new Democrats did so, too. The movement for repeal must include members of both parties. It must hold everyone honest in their promises to oppose tax hikes. And it must even win over those who made the mistake of voting for this disastrous tax hike.

Next week I will address key questions for all of us: Are we builders or are we dividers? Do we welcome people who convert and come over to our way of thinking, or do we reject and denigrate them forever for their real or imagined past sins? In my humble opinion, we can only prevail if we all commit to being builders with generous hearts for those who wish to join the movement.