North Cook News

Illinois state Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) fumes Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s recent budget address had an all-too-familiar ring to it.

"Gov. Pritzker must work with the legislature to manage the state budget based on the revenue that we have, not based on the new taxes that he wants,” Morrison told the North Cook News. “This is a common play from the Democrats; they threaten cuts to the state's most vulnerable populations unless they get tax increases.”

Indeed, critics charge Pritzker’s address sounded as much like an infomercial for his progressive income tax proposal as it did a true assessment and projection of the state’s finances.

While the governor has long maintained the tax will only mean higher rates for the state’s wealthiest residents, Morrison doesn’t see how that can be.

"No doubt, the governor and the legislature have a tough job ahead--creating a budget that's balanced at the same time the state still grapples with billions of dollars of unpaid bills and mandated spending,” Morrison added. “Instead of giving us a plan that makes the state more attractive to taxpayers, the governor and his team proposed a budget that once again relies on greater taxation and borrowing."

Morrison said the fact that progressive tax systems in other states have fallen far short of many predictions should serve as a warning to Illinois residents.

In California, expected revenues from the tax were nearly cut in half after wealthy residents bolted en masse, while Connecticut residents have suffered through a steady stream of rising income- and property-tax rates that have cost the state more than $10 billion and 360,000 jobs.

“He's trying to sell another round of tax increases, but neglecting the very reforms that would allow our state and local governments to manage their budgets more efficiently and effectively with current revenues," Morrison added of Pritzker. “There's hardly ever a discussion about real policy reform or better prioritizing our current expenditures to free up funds for what's truly necessary."