North Cook News

Republican state Senate hopeful Jeanette Ward fears what Illinois could become if Springfield Democrats gets their way with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s progressive tax proposal.

“Before long, there’ll be an increase on taxes for everyone because we’ll be giving the legislature a blank check to whatever they please with taxes,” Ward told the Kane County Reporter. “It won’t be long before they’ll even be taxing retirement income.”

Running against incumbent state Sen. Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) in the 25th District, Ward argues nothing about the so-called fair tax strikes her as what is being presented to taxpayers as.

“For the governor to still be talking about this tax as one that will only mean higher rates for the rich is just ridiculous,” she said. “I talk to voters about it all the time and between now and Election Day, I plan to continue to tell them what passing it could really mean.”

Given what’s at stake, Ward said she isn’t surprised to see Pritzker trying to sell it as hard as he has been, including recently pumping more than $51.5 million of all his own money into a Vote Yes to Fairness Committee. Voters will finally have their say in November, when it appears on the ballot in the form of a constitutional amendment. Approval from 60% of those who vote on the issue or a majority of those who vote in the election overall is needed for passage.

“I just hope that the people of Illinois are smart enough not to vote another tax on themselves,” Ward said. “The Democrat Party is the party of tax and spend and we’re already paying the price. Illinois is already home to one of the highest tax rates in the country and consequently that makes us have one of the highest outmigration rates anywhere.”