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Illinois politics

by Neil Rickert

The local news is abuzz with reports of a deal in Springfield to increase state taxes.  Apparently, the state income tax would go from its current 3% to 5.75%.  Then, after 4 years, it would revert to 3.75%.  See here and here.

Nobody likes tax increases.  However, I applaud this change.  Part of the tax would be used to reduce property taxes and to fund schools.  And part of it will be to catch up with the deficit that has been building over the last several years.  I’m not sure who gets the credit (or blame) for this deal.  And, of course, it has not yet been enacted into law.  But it is good to see some fiscal sanity returning to Springfield.

Posted on January 7, 2011 at 00:18 (UTC) in politics   |  RSS feed

2 Comments to “Illinois politics”

    
  1. Bill R
    January 7, 2011 at 08:57 (UTC)

    Uh …. isn’t this supposed to be the party that cares about the “little guy”
    and the “middle class?”

    If you think of the State of Illinois as an example of corporate greed, this
    is an example of the corporation sticking it to the consumer.

    It is also an admission that Illinois Democrats have mismanaged the
    state for years and years.

    My encouragement to all who refuse to file.

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    • Neil Rickert
      January 7, 2011 at 09:23 (UTC)

      Let’s remember how we got into this budget mess. It is due to failing to fund the state retirement program at the level that it was legally required to be funded. This “smoke and mirrors” way of borrowing from the future, while pretending not to borrow, has been going on for decades, under both Democratic and Republican administrations.

      Like