PROPONENTS OF PROGRESSIVE TAX SAY ILLINOIS INCOME TAX RATES CAN BE DECIDED LATER
By Ben VanMetre -
State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, D-Urbana, recently proposed to implement another income tax hike in Illinois - and her proposal is gaining interest across the state.
But the current proposal doesn’t include any numbers. Not including tax rates is a strategic move by lawmakers who want Illinoisans to vote on a progressive tax without telling them how much it would increase their tax bill.
Asking lawmakers to figure out the exact tax rates later on is sort of like buying a car and letting the dealer decide the interest rate on your auto loan once you've walked off the lot – you never know what you’ll end up paying.
The Center for Budget and Tax Accountability proposed a progressive income tax that would impose eight ever-higher marginal tax rates, topping off at 11 percent. But when questioned, the organization admitted their rates are up for debate.
Look no further than California to see what happens when progressive tax rates are put in the hands of legislators. Just last year, California Gov. Jerry Brown succeeded in adding three brackets to the state’s already steep progressive structure, increasing the top marginal rate to 13.3 percent.
There’s no telling how high Illinois’ rates would go if the state implemented a progressive income tax. Will the income rates go as high as Hawaii’s 11 percent? Will they follow California and push the top rate to 13.3 percent? Or will Illinois set the bar even higher?
Don’t be fooled. A progressive income tax is simply a money grab disguised as tax reform. It would destroy jobs, stifle entrepreneurship and have a detrimental impact on Illinois’ middle class. It’s a dangerous proposal in the first place, but it's doubly dangerous when voters don't even know exactly what rates will be implemented beforehand. That’s a recipe for disaster.
Ben VanMetre is Senior Budget and Tax Policy Analyst at the Illinois Policy Institute
This proposal serves to only accelerate the decline of the Illinois business climate. Imagine how many jobs will be lost.
Of course I am willing to may much more in taxation to have the privilege of living in this beautiful weather, with a modern public transportation infrastructure, crime-free schools, schools that excel in math and science, and selfless and incorruptible leaders.
ReplyDeleteIf you go to other states, they have these "political families" that run everything. Illinois is blessed with its educated population and highly efficient organs of government.
Every bond investor should be crawling over each other to not merely purchase our bonds but to . . . take up residence!
Hilarious!
DeleteIllinois Senate, Illinois HOuse, Governor, Cook County, City of Chicago ALL run by Democrats. We have 8.5% or so unemployment, we have now the worst credit rating of any State in the Union, we have a budget that is growing every year. How is this proposal actual going to help? Yes it MAY raise additional revenue in the short run, but will cost everyone more eventually. Also it will add not one job to this fiscally ill state. It is purposely driving the patient in the opposite direction of the hospital.
ReplyDelete$10 minimum wage will chase a lot of business out too.. Comrade Quinn's latest idea.
ReplyDeleteThe "new breed" of extreme radically liberal Democrat politicians are driving our city, state and country over a true fiscal cliff. The goal of the American hating leftists and their fool pawns is no less than to bankrupt our country. They have visions of burning American cities dancing in their heads. Know your enemy. They hate us and now that they have a radicalized and mobilized minority army working for them they are accelerating the pace of our destruction. I know this sounds over the top, but when you look at the financial and economic charts of skyrocketing national and state debt, level of taxation on the average citizen, dropping personalincome, governement spending, "entitlement" billions being given to able bodied lazy people - it is not I who is taking crazy pills.
ReplyDeleteThe State of Illinois has a ridiculously lop sided number of liberal Democrats representing the people. There was a recent study of the most liberal and most conservative states in the US. Illinois was not even in the top 20% of liberal states. I blame largely our media who have worked tirelessy to promote the interests of the Democratic Party and have railroaded, pilloried, lampooned or ignored Conservatives who had the courage to speak out in our town, county and State. The incredible shrinking Trib and Slum Times pump out endless propaganda these days and there are few true journalists still working.
ReplyDeleteThe true goal of the America hating left is no doubt to bankrupt our country. We have 2/3 of the US budget for entitlement programs that cannot be touched leaving only 1/3 of the budget that is even theoretically open to re examination. The plan is that once you grow that figure to say 4/5 of the budget for entitlements - then we will have NO real choice but to slash our military spending. This has the effect of weakening the fiber of the individual, creating a dependecy mentality and so weakens us from within. It also accomplishes the goal of weakening us militarily. I do believe these leftist goals are shared by Obama.
ReplyDeleteQuinns speech yesterday centered on raising the minimum wage and gay marriage. Nothing about the state's fiscal crisis. This guy is an idiot. Need to start talking impeachment.
ReplyDeleteI hear this stuff and then I hear Quinn's State of the State speech and I am starting to believe that the Democrats really and truly do NOT get it ! They either do not understand the most basic principles of a free market economy - or they just dont care. He wants to raise the minimum wage and raise taxes ! These are job destroyers. What are they trying to do? Meanwhile they want to give licenses to illegals. They want to (and DO) give illegals in-state tuition rates. 1/3 of children on The All Kids State health care plan - are illegals.
ReplyDeleteIf I could move out of here I would do so tomorrow. I am sick of Link Card abusers taking money from me. They want to take from the establishement (primarily white) and give to the "less fortunate" (primarily minority). It is a form of back door reparations. To quote Heath Ledger in Batman "It's allllll part of the plaaaaaann"
Well if you have appropriate education then you can survive anywhere in the world.
ReplyDeleteCareer As A Home Health in Chicago