43 Comments - Reality Check - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:20 am: Bruce Rauner paid a state income tax rate of less than 3.9% on his $54 million income. That’s less than the 4.95% rate that Rauner says middle class Illinoisans should pay. Bruce Rauner defends his own special deal that keeps his taxes low. - Real - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:22 am: Tell Rauner to release his Rauner family foundation tax returns. If 2017 is not yet available release prior years. - Reality Check - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:23 am: JB Pritzker paid state income taxes at a higher rate (4.3%) than Bruce Rauner (3.9%). Pritzker believes in a fair tax where rich people pay more and middle class folks pay less. Rauner opposes the fair tax and wants to protect his own special deal. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:25 am: Looks like neither one of these guys will be waiting in line tonight to buy lottery tickets. They already have mega millions. - illinois manufacturer - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:25 am: It puts him in about the top 1500 taxpayers. - Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:26 am: Stones, meet glass houses. Rauner should first push the president of his own party, Trump, to release his tax returns. - Texas Red - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:30 am: “Bruce Rauner paid a state income tax rate of less than 3.9%” Rauner like the rest of us is allowed to take deductions. AGI = his income minus allowances for personal exemptions and itemized deductions. He is simply following the tax laws that apply equally to all folks, not sure what your point is. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:31 am: Reality check, I will believe it when I see JB’s proposed progressive tax brackets. If ever before the election. - Not a Billionaire - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:32 am: I think he is at the billion mark even though Forbes doesn’t think so. His investment income indicates at least 700 million and if the cap gains are mostly carried interest then add some to the business income use the Ken griffen ratio Forbes uses and you get a business value if at least 300 million . - anon - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:32 am: Rauner has just given up. He has nothing to run on, and his intended hit jobs on Pritzker blow up in his face. Rauner is a failure as governor. Time to go back to raiding businesses, selling off assets, and threatening women with a ruined life and ruined family. - Not a Billionaire - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:35 am: I can only guess because it is not a complete return but he can go to Forbes and get on the billionaire list. I would add we know Forbes has listed some non billionaires and still may. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:36 am: –Reporters – please see attached for JB Pritzker’s 2017 tax returns where he paid federal taxes at a rate of 36.2%.– Amazing how rich dudes start paying high effective tax rates once they’re running for office. At least those who release their returns. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:38 am: Ok. Now what? Seriously. Now what? Two rich guys, payin’ taxes, not getting a look at any attachments, comparing… what… Rauner could use a friend, a former business partner, someone who got a job from a Rauner company, a picture of Rauner being a doting family member… … this doesn’t make Rauner any more likable, or villify Pritzker when Rauner is mirrored. Ok. Now what? - The Dude Abides - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:39 am: The election is 3 weeks away and Rauner needs to find some mud that sticks to the wall fast. This attempt failed. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:41 am: –Rauner has just given up.– No, he’s throwing the spaghetti bowl at the wall, hoping something sticks. That working-class-hero presser yesterday was just weirdness. Gov. RTW rips someone for using non-union labor. Surreal. - Father Ted - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:41 am: Pritzker’s forms were signed yesterday; Bruce’s Illinois form was signed last week. Guess it takes six months longer to do your taxes when you’ve got that much dough to count. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:43 am: –not sure what your point is.– LOL, I’m sure you are. - Thomas Paine - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:46 am: Surprised to see Rauner still claiming three children as dependents? I thought Meg graduated from Dartmouth in 2017. Claiming his adult children as dependents seems at odds with his attacks on Pritzker as a “trust fund baby.” - Matts - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:46 am: My 1040 looks just like theirs. The numbers on my 1040 are different, however. (Mrs. Pritzker has an interesting signature - similar to Trumps) - Perrid - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:46 am: I noticed the dates too, it looks odd to me. It still raises more questions for me, as on paper, here, it looks like Rauner makes more money than JB and yet everyone keeps telling me otherwise. Makes me curious about the details. - cdog - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:47 am: Neither of these fine public servants have submitted any real info here. A 1040 is like a table of contents, not really a good read. Gentleman, your schedule A’s, itemized deductions, have some seriously huge numbers. Rauner–$11,808,594 Pritzker–$6,686,191 These mysteriously large numbers are ReDucTions to their taxable incomes. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:52 am: ===here, it looks like Rauner makes more money than JB and yet everyone keeps telling me otherwise=== Income isn’t the same as wealth. - Real - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:53 am: Instead of waiting around and playing defense in these last weeks JB needs to play some offense as if he is down. Don’t get too complacent. - Anon62704 - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:55 am: =I noticed the dates too, it looks odd to me.= Nothing odd. 10/15 was the deadline for filers who requested a 6 month extension. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/oct-15-tax-filing-extension-deadline-approaches-for-millions-of-taxpayers - PatchworkOrange - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:55 am: “I noticed the dates too, it looks odd to me. It still raises more questions for me, as on paper, here, it looks like Rauner makes more money than JB and yet everyone keeps telling me otherwise. Makes me curious about the details.” It is a tax return on income, not total assets. I could have a billion dollars stuffed in my mattress getting 0% interest income and be richer, or have trusts sending me money that are not in my name. A lot goes into that billionaire moniker. - Texas Red - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:57 am: “I noticed the dates too, it looks odd to me” It is not unusual for wealthy folks to take longer than the rest of us to file. When you are owed a refund there is not really a deadline or penalty for late filling. Rauner was owed a refund on both state and Fed. However JB paid a $4,343 late payment penalty to the state. - cdog - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 9:59 am: How about that Schedule D, for the capital gain/loss of the savvy or not so savvy? Rauner — $35,196,436 Pritzker — $94,173 More questions than answers, folks. Anybody using loss carryforward rules? I guess we aren’t allowed to know that. (eyeroll) - low level - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 10:01 am: They are both wealthy. Wow, what a revealtion that is My friends on the far left and right say this makes them the same. Perhaps so. Whats interesting is a guy who campaigns on incrrasing his own taxes and doesnt claim some “job creator” reason as a reason his should be cut. Interesting as well, as the owner of Hyatt, JB could make the job creator argument much better than Rauner could as the head of his vulture firm. - Steve Rogers - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 10:05 am: –the Rauner campaign is now calling on Pritzker to release his tax information– If this is so important to Rauner, maybe he can convince Trump to release his tax information. - Blue Dog Dem - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 10:14 am: Ok. We have now established the threshold for middle clas. - Moby - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 10:27 am: So, are there voters actually still undecided between Pritzker and Rauner three weeks out and are going to decide based on tax returns and toilet bowls? Is Rauner actually telling us not to vote for the rich guy? Twilight Zone. Twilight Zone, indeed. - Chicago Cynic - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 10:29 am: Filing on 10/15 isn’t just the province of the rich. I usually file on 10/15 and I’m definitely not in their league. - Demoralized - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 10:36 am: I’m trying to figure out why any of this matters. Does anyone really vote based on what someone’s tax returns say? Please. - MG85 - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 10:37 am: Any Republican calling for any Democrat to release their tax returns is laughable while they continue to not hold President Trump to the same standard. It reeks of disingenuous dribble. - Henry Francis - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 10:43 am: Anyone else find it cooncidental that the Guv’s income is significantly lower in a campaign year than it was in previous years? Didn’t he nake $190MM last year? And just $53MM this year? Of course it’s just a coincidence, it’s all controlled by a blind trust, right? - Real - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 10:50 am: Actually his income is lower now that the state has a budget. When the state had no budget he had his highest incomes. - Pundent - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 11:00 am: I don’t think that Rauner’s intent here was to get into the finer details of what each return captures. He likely didn’t expect Pritzker to respond as quickly as he did with his own return. It was the set-up for Rauner to spend another day talking about the “scheme to defraud.” - Perrid - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 11:36 am: The both overpaid, JB $2.4 million and Bruce $6.7 million, and both applied that to next year’s taxes. How normal is that? I’ve heard financial “experts” tell normal people to try not to overpay, because you are basically lending it to the government, but both these guys not only overpaid they let the government keep it. - Timmeh - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 1:29 pm: Perrid: Maybe it’s a politician thing. If you have the money, why not go a little over and be insured in case if someone finds an error? You can easily use the excuse, “I pay more anyway just in case if I do make an error. Easier for me and the government that way.” - @misterjayem - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 2:34 pm: Who’s gonna tell poor Bruce that income over $87,000 is taxed at 43% in Italy? – MrJM - wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 2:55 pm: –Who’s gonna tell poor Bruce that income over $87,000 is taxed at 43% in Italy? – Tax evasion is the national sport in Italy and Greece, bigger than soccer. Still, I imagine Rauner will park his cash somewhere close in the Alps, like Lugano or Vaduz. They know how to keep secrets. - Illinois Resident - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 5:00 pm: Classic example of why we need a progressive income tax. They both need to pay more in state taxes. - Illinois Resident - Tuesday, Oct 16, 18 @ 5:00 pm: Only one candidate is advocating for this though (Pritzker). Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.