* Gov. Pritzker’s press office …
Statewide, 97 percent of Illinois taxpayers will pay the same or less in state income taxes under Gov. JB Pritzker’s fair tax plan, with only 3 percent of taxpayers paying more. County-level data shows that in over half of the state’s 102 counties, less than 1 percent of filers will pay more.
The new county-level data illustrates how a vast majority of communities stand to do even better than the statewide average if the governor’s fair tax is adopted.
A few sample counties are below:
* Adams County (Quincy): 98.44% of taxpayers will pay the same or less while millionaires who make up only 0.15% of the county will pay the top rate.
* Champaign County (Champaign, Urbana): 98.12% of taxpayers will pay the same or less while millionaires who make up only 0.15% of the county will pay the top rate.
* Cook County (Chicago, Schaumburg): 96.78% of taxpayers will pay the same or less while millionaires who make up only 0.40% of the county will pay the top rate.
* Jackson County (Murphysboro, Carbondale): 98.87% of taxpayers will pay the same or less while millionaires who make up only 0.11% of the county will pay the top rate.
* Kane County (Aurora, Geneva): 97.13% of taxpayers will pay the same or less while millionaires who make up only 0.23% of the county will pay the top rate.
* Kankakee County (Kankakee, Manteno): 99.09% of taxpayers will pay the same or less while millionaires who make up only 0.07% of the county will pay the top rate.
* LaSalle County (Ottawa): 99.06% of taxpayers will pay the same or less while millionaires who make up 0.08% of the county will pay the top rate.
* Macon County (Decatur): 98.49% of taxpayers will pay the same or less while millionaires who make up 0.15% of the county will pay the top rate.
* Madison County (Edwardsville, Granite City): 98.72% of taxpayers will pay the same or less while millionaires who make up 0.10% of the county will pay the top rate.
* McHenry County (Crystal Lake, Woodstock): 97.59% of taxpayers will pay the same or less while millionaires who make up 0.19% of the county will pay the top rate.
* McLean County (Bloomington): 97.94% of taxpayers pay the same or less while millionaires who make up 0.18% of the county will pay the top rate.
* Peoria County (Peoria): 97.32% of taxpayers pay the same or less while millionaires who make up 0.22% of the county will pay the top rate.
* Rock Island County (Moline, Rock Island): 99.07% of taxpayers will pay the same or less while millionaires who make up 0.11% of the county will pay the top rate.
* Sangamon County (Springfield): 98.13% of taxpayers will pay the same or less while millionaires who make up 0.13% of the county will pay the top rate.
* St. Clair County (Belleville): 98.80% of taxpayers pay the same or less while millionaires who make up 0.10% of the county will pay the top rate.
* Vermillion County (Danville): 99.42% of taxpayers will pay the same or less while millionaires who make up 0.05% of the county will pay the top rate.
* Winnebago County (Rockford): 98.89% of taxpayers will pay the same or less while millionaires who make up 0.08% of the county will pay the top rate.
Of the over 5.68 million filers in tax year 2016, less than 18,000 millionaires will pay the top rate while 5.52 million taxpayers — 97 percent statewide — will pay the same or less in state income taxes.
The full list is here.
* Meanwhile, remember how Think Big Illinois slammed Sen. Dan McConchie’s proposal to require a two-thirds super-majority to impose or raise taxes? McConchie responded and I didn’t get around to posting it. Oops. Here it is now…
Our initiative is to protect middle-income families. Now that the dark money group Think Big Illinois is voicing their opposition, it proves that people should be skeptical of the Governor’s proposed graduated income tax plan. They oppose a super-majority to raise taxes, which means we are unable to trust them to not raise taxes in the future. If it requires a super-majority to implement a graduated income tax in Illinois, then it should also require a super-majority to raise those tax rates. Otherwise, this is merely a place holder for a future tax increase on the people of Illinois.
…Adding… Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield)…
The question is not, and never will be, about what arbitrary rates Illinois Democrats are trying to sell to families and businesses. The question is, do taxpayers trust handing a blank check to lawmakers who have proven time and time again to be unable to rein in spending and offer real reforms to the state of Illinois?
- Not a Billionaire - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 11:25 am:
This is such a great comeback to those who keep pointing at the number of red counties.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 11:27 am:
The 98 County Romantics, hoisted on their own petards.
Good talking points for Downstate proponents.
- JIbba - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 11:29 am:
So 160,000 taxpayers/voters will be affected by the new rates (5.68M-5.52M)? This is why they need unaffected middle class voters to be scared.
- very old soil - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 11:32 am:
Table has typo for Dewitt County. Certainly many more than 90.9 percent make less than 250K. Didn’t get out the calculator but probably greater than 99 percent based on raw numbers.
- Just another Anon - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 11:33 am:
Just to note, this doesn’t list the total effected by the proposed new rates. It lists the total not effected then the total at the highest bracket. It offers, at best, an incomplete picture of the persons effected, specifically excluding those making more than 250,000 but less than 1 million who still see an income tax increase.
- anon2 - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 11:37 am:
It’s instructive to look at the home counties of the four sponsors of HR 101 to separate Chicago from the state. In every case, more than 99 percent of their constituents would pay less or the same. Only a minuscule fraction of one percent would pay the top rate in the counties of Clay, Crawford, Morgan and Shelby. Yet all four representatives are certain to vote to deny almost all of their constituents a tax cut in order to protect a handful who can best afford to pay from paying more.
- Not a Billionaire - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 11:38 am:
We hear constantly from the skills for the rich they are somehow productively investing this money.
That can be checked deep in the IRS . It’s called the domestic production credit. It’s called something else now . I took the new version. Let me just say….not a big amount relative to their income.
- Nagidam - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 11:50 am:
It is not a slam dunk that there are the votes in the house to get this done. Costello is a no, Bristow should be a no, and Edley-Allen should be a no. Edley-Allens county of Lake has the highest percentage of millionaires. Her district was the only legislative district that kept the 3% millionaires tax referendum under 50%. So that gives Madigan no room for error.
- Rome2 - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 11:54 am:
Where is DuPage or Will County?
- Sue - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 11:57 am:
Do how do we raise 3 Billion?
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 12:29 pm:
In other words, a real good deal, considering our need for revenue.
Job number 1 now for fair tax proponents and Pritzker is to work on GA Democrats to try to get the votes. Remind members, especially new ones, of Rauner’s destructive budget sabotage and attempt to rip savings out of unionized employees.
- City Zen - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 12:46 pm:
==Kankakee County (Kankakee, Manteno): 99.09%==
Thank goodness it’s not 99.08%.
- Mama - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 1:24 pm:
One problem with this is more millionaires will simply hide their income so the state cannot tax it.
The other problem is not rising the taxes on the first million dollars - starting raising the tax at $300,000.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 2:03 pm:
=Where is DuPage or Will County?= Or Lake County? Think the numbers might be skewed against their argument.
- City Zen - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 2:12 pm:
I’m convinced. Now lock in those rates until 2030 and I’ll sign on the dotted line, marriage penalty and all.
- Get a Job!! - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 2:36 pm:
This “blank check” argument is a joke. Illinois is a sovereign state, so by definition the State always has and always will have a blank check.
- Vilolet Seepage - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 2:48 pm:
City Zen:
Auntie Violet applauds your salient point. People are NOT going to trust lawmakers unless some kind of guarantee of KEEPING the new rates at the suggested level is wired into the outcome.
- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 3:07 pm:
==People are NOT going to trust lawmakers==
Why not? The people trusted Tim Butler when he promised people that Bruce Rauner would cut state spending, and again when both he and Dan McConchie insisted that Bruce Rauner’s dealings with Deloitte would save the state a lot of money. You’re saying we should not believe these two now?
- yep yep - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 4:06 pm:
“Good talking points for Downstate proponents.”
That’s all they are - is just good talking points, since these rates are just unguaranteed speculative conjecture
- City Zen - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 4:16 pm:
==People are NOT going to trust lawmakers unless some kind of guarantee==
Many here have pointed out the state has rarely raised the income tax rate over the decades, as if to imply there should be no fear of rates going up anytime soon after we move to a graduated rate structure. So no point of locking in rates.
I counter it’s an easy give. If you have no intention of raising the rates anyway, offer that long-term rate guarantee as a condition, as if you made a concession that really isn’t a concession at all.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Mar 28, 19 @ 10:01 pm:
–People are NOT going to trust lawmakers unless some kind of guarantee of KEEPING the new rates at the suggested level is wired into the outcome.–
And in an American REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY, what GUARANTEE could tie FUTURE General Assemblies that would satisfy GOOFS you think ALL CAPS are a replacement for BAD WRITING?
- Paw Paw Slim - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 7:06 am:
The state of Illinois needs to increase revenue, and an increase in income tax percentages on high earners is just one way to do this. But let’s get started, so I say yes to the graduated income tax. If it is so ineffective, why do we continue to use that method for federal taxes?
- Rabid - Friday, Mar 29, 19 @ 8:17 am:
A millionaire jobs tax is trustworthy