Gov. J.B. Pritzker is a man who was born rich and will die rich.
The heir to Hyatt hotel fortune would have us believe he wants to rewrite the state constitution to raise income taxes just on swells like himself — and nobody else.
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account and connect your subscription to it by clicking here.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active, online-only subscription then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is a man who was born rich and will die rich.
The heir to Hyatt hotel fortune would have us believe he wants to rewrite the state constitution to raise income taxes just on swells like himself — and nobody else.
It’s a cynical argument.
What Gov. Pritzker and his legislative supporters really are trying to do is eliminate a constitutional protection.
If you are like me, you’ve heard the “Fair Tax” commercials many times by now. But we all know you have to take advertising, particularly political advertising with a grain of salt.
But that doesn’t mean we always do. Just last week, I installed two toilets in my house that are advertised by Koehler to be “clog free.” Within a week, my three daughters managed to stop up both, twice.
Unfortunately, when we are misled by political advertising, there isn’t a plunger to make the mess go away. If the progressive tax passes, it will be stinking up the state for a long time.
While I’ve spent most of my career in Illinois, I’ve also been a reporter in Iowa, Ohio, Texas and Nevada. Two of those states have progressive income taxes and two have no income tax at all.
In itself, a progressive income tax is not unworkable, but in the context of Illinois it would be devastating.
Before anyone’s income tax is raised, Illinois needs meaningful and permanent property tax relief.
Illinois already has the highest property taxes in the nation and there is no serious proposal in Springfield to reduce them. Add on an increase in income taxes and the overall tax burden for middle class families would be overwhelming.
But aren’t the commercials saying only rich people will have to pay more under this plan?