On Wednesday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker delivered his annual combined Budget Address and State of the State Address, proposing a billion dollars in tax increases to fund the growing price tag of the migrant crisis that he invited.
As grocery prices hit a 30-year high, the Governor’s tax increases would hit families yet again by cutting the standard deduction. His plan would also go after small and large jobs creators, leaving Illinoisans earning less, paying more for goods and services, or both.
Since taking office, Pritzker has increased spending on noncitizen programs from just a few million dollars per year to roughly a billion dollars, by offering services from free housing to free healthcare.
State Senator Rose argued that increasing taxes by a billion dollars to pay for a billion dollars in spending on noncitizens is a clear display of the Governor’s misplaced priorities.
Overall, the Governor’s budget would set a new record as the largest in state history. Pritzker called for an additional $2 billion in spending with a total price tag of nearly $53 billion. If he is able to pass his plan, he will have grown state spending by 30% in just six years in office.
Members of the Illinois Senate Republican Caucus have long advocated for eliminating the state’s sales tax on groceries that you pay with every purchase. But our plan would responsibly provide this tax relief to you, while also, at the same time, “backfill” any losses to local villages and municipalities who also share in those dollars. This “backfill” is critical, so that you don’t lose money back home for roads, police, fire, or other priorities. Unfortunately, while Pritzker claimed to support grocery tax relief in his speech, he also failed to include this concept in his actual proposed budget (including any way to payback local communities for the loss of the these receipts). So it’s hard to tell how serious he actually is about the concept. Worse yet, without the back fill for local communities, his plan could actually end up in raising your property taxes, as local governments look to replace those dollars. Either way, when you peel back the layers on his “budget,” it looks more and more like simple smoke and mirrors than true tax relief for the working people of Illinois.
Senator Rose added that he is committed to fighting these proposed tax hikes and providing real relief to the citizens of the state. Senator Rose is asking for your help to tell Pritzker “NO” to these new tax hikes. If you agree, please sign his petition here.
