Rep. Thomas Morrison (R-Palatine) voted against the new Illinois budget and against overriding Gen. Bruce Rauner's vetoes because the budget simply continues to squeeze Illinoisans rather than helping them, he said.
“We’re taking more money out of the private economy and allowing the public sector to grow,” Morrison said. “We cannot have a healthy state – we can’t even have healthy government – if you’re squeezing out the entities that actually provide the tax revenue. We can thrive again as a state, but we have to do things differently. This is the wrong path."
The House overrode vetoes from Rauner on SB6, SB9, and SB42, which will provide Illinois with a $36 billion spending plan as well as impose a permanent 32 percent increase on income and corporate taxes. SB9 increases personal state income tax rates to 4.95 percent from 3.75 percent and corporate tax rates to 7 percent from 5.25 percent.
House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) eked out the 71 votes he needed to achieve overrides of the vetoes of SB9 and SB42. The override of SB6's veto passed with 74 votes.
“When you look at high property taxes without reform, it will just continue to climb,” Morrison said. “It’s just more and more and more. While certainly we do need a budget, and yes, people do want predictability, but you know what they’re getting? They’re getting another predicable outcome. When the state of Illinois and all of our local governments run out of money, what do they do? Go back to the well. Go back to the taxpayers. Squeeze a little more; squeeze a little harder. We all know it. We’re squeezing so hard, we’re squeezing them out.”
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider said the GOP lawmakers who sided with Madigan on the vetoes will be held accountable.
“After all we have accomplished together, it is astonishing that these legislators would now turn their backs on taxpayers across the state,” Schneider said. “I am confident voters will hold those politicians accountable for choosing Mike Madigan over the people of Illinois.”
Rauner called the overrides another step in “Illinois' never-ending tragic trail of tax hikes."
Alerts Sign-up