Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed constitutional amendment has been passed on to the Senate, according to the Illinois News Network.
The amendment would change the state’s flat income tax to one with higher rates for higher earners. Pritzker has promoted the tax plan as a way to relieve some of Illinois’s multiple debts by bringing in an estimated $3.4 billion in additional tax revenue.
Illinois State Director Mark Grant explained the reasons behind NFIB’s opposition to the Governor’s progressive income tax plan. Grant said the tax is a jobs tax that will hurt small businesses the more they succeed. NFIB members have also expressed concern over a lack of trust in current Illinois lawmakers after they’ve shown poor spending discipline for years.
“Are they going to believe the same people who put us into this mess are going to fix it with this tax increase? I don’t think so,” Grant said. Grant’s office issued an action alert to members asking them to contact state senators.
Other business advocates, such as the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, have spoken out against the tax as well. The organization’s president would mean Illinois would have the second highest property tax, highest sales tax and the third highest income tax in the nation, sending a terrible message to larger companies looking to invest in the state.
