MADISON - ST. CLAIR RECORD

Gov. J.B. Pritzker is calling his $3.4 billion tax hike “fair,” but his plan comes with a hefty penalty for some Illinoisans who choose to tie the knot.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is arguing that Illinois should adopt income tax rates similar to neighboring Wisconsin and Iowa as a way to be more “competitive,” even though adopting those rates would mean tax hikes for middle-income families.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker claims his progressive income tax will only affect the rich. But Illinoisans making as little as $26,100 would see an income tax hike under rates Pritzker cited in his budget address.

In the final hours of the 100th General Assembly, some state lawmakers are pushing to send a bill to incoming Gov. J.B. Pritzker that would give pay raises to state department heads.

Both Madison and St. Clair County taxpayers paid a higher effective tax rate than the national average in 2017, a year which also saw continued outmigration from the region.

Though some politicians claim a progressive income tax would only affect the rich, rates established under House Bill 3522 would raise income taxes on middle-class families.

Madison and St. Clair counties both saw their populations decline from July 2016 to July 2017, thanks to outmigration – a problem the counties have been dealing with for years.

In one of the first proposals of the new General Assembly, state Rep. Chris Welch, D-Westchester, proposed making October 2017 “zombie preparedness month.”