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Rauner ad gets it wrong, but Pritzker needs to end his silence

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* AP…

“(Illinois House Speaker) Mike Madigan just raised your taxes 32 percent over Bruce Rauner’s veto. Now J.B. Pritzker wants to raise your taxes again. Pritzker and Madigan want to raise taxes on every middle class Illinoisan and increase tax rates another 26 percent,” in a [Gov. Rauner] TV ad launched last week. […]

Pritzker has not released a specific tax plan so it’s impossible to say how much he might raise taxes and who might pay more. […]

The additional 26 percent tax increase referenced in Rauner’s ad stems from a failed state bill this year that proposed raising the tax rate again by at least that much for anyone making more than $15,000 a year. When asked, Rauner’s campaign said that figure was used in the ad because it’s the only income tax plan a Democratic lawmaker has presented and Pritzker has not revealed how tax rates will change under his proposal. The Rauner campaign, however, could not provide any examples of Pritzker expressing support for the bill. During a March radio interview, Pritzker called an accusation that his tax plan would be similar to that bill “false.”

“JB does not support the bill referenced in Rauner’s ad,” his campaign said in a statement to the AP this week.

Once again with feeling: Politics abhors a vacuum. Until Pritzker defines what his graduated income tax will look like, the empty space will be filled by others.

…Adding… From Rep. Martwick…

Rich,

I guess I need to address my bill once again. That bill was filed at the height of the budget impasse. It was designed to show that by adopting the Wisconsin rate structure, we could stop the bleeding, provide basic services, properly fund education, and solve our pension problem. Rauner has had four years and has done NONE of that. I’m sorry but this debate over rates is silly, since we only get to decide rates once we have the ability to adopt them, and then you better believe the legislature is going to have a say on what rates are chosen. You could adopt progressive rates that give everyone a tax cut, but you would not solve a single problem. Or you could adopt the income tax rate structure of Wisconsin and solve almost all of your problems. So what’s the difference? With the Wisconsin rates, every single homeowner, renter, and business owner in Illinois would benefit from the largest property tax cut in the history of the state. Funny how Rauner never mentions that, even though he himself would likely save $40,000 per year on his property taxes. Perhaps that’s because his state income taxes would go up by $1.6 million. Oh, and all of those middle income folks that Rauner saying are going to get a tax increase? Well the typical family of four in the Chicago suburbs with an income of $85k, and living in a $300,000 home will see an income tax increase of approximately $1,000 per year and a property tax DECREASE of $3,500. Maybe that’s why Rauner and his trickle-down buddies don’t like it. It certainly will not benefit them.

Regards,

Rob Martwick

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 10:50 am

Comments

===Politics abhors a vacuum. Until Pritzker defines what his graduated income tax will look like, the empty space will be filled by others.===

It’s malpractice that Pritzker’s Crew continues to let Rauner own the tax issue. I won’t go as far as blatant purposeful malpractice, but it’s malpractice all the same to the understanding of who they are, and how Rauner gets to define them.

Rauner signed a budget with a 32% tax increase with none if the reforms he promised, and greater spending.

The Pritzker tax plan needs something to its empty brackets, or someone to explain the path to the income tax plan and it’s results.

You can NOT have a policy ad that has no substance to the discussion.

Can’t. Never works.

The vacuum created, Rauner drives a truckload of wrongjy defined tax issues through to the voters.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 10:57 am
Pritzker is in a bit of a pickle when it comes to offering specifics. He will continue to get hits like this until he puts them on the table, but as soon as he does, there will be a whole new line f attack thrown at him making his plan look as evil as possible. I don’t know if he has specifically addressed when he will give specifics and why he hasn’t yet. Doing that may help him. My hunch is this issue is debated ad nauseum among JB’s staff and advisers.

Comment by Montrose Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 10:59 am
===Pritzker is in a bit of a pickle when it comes to offering specifics.===

This is 1,000% true.

Talking about taxes, tax rates, changing how we tax, who wins, who loses, yikes there is nothing here but a pickle. No snark.

The pickle is… you can’t talk to policy and leave specifics out so your opponent can define those specifics in the vacuum created by silence.

What opponent is going to give the “good” side of an undefined policy issue that a campaign won’t define?

===My hunch is this issue is debated ad nauseum among JB’s staff and advisers.===

This is possible. Probable.

The thinking, by the silence is…

“Just throw out there this progressive taxing thingy, it polls well, and if we get questioned, say JB will pay more, both most others won’t, and leave it there”

Welp, undefined policy get framed by those actually discussing what the policy could be.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 11:09 am
===Pritzker is in a bit of a pickle===

Pickel

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 11:11 am
Pritzker could stay quiet and get dinged for it. Or he could lie, and be like Rauner. Or he could be honest and forthcoming and make this a close race.

Comment by Matt Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 11:12 am
==Mike Madigan just raised your taxes 32 percent==

Bruce must’ve set the time machine to July 2017. His signature on January 4th made it Bruce’s tax hike.

Comment by Jocko Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 11:17 am
===Pritzker is in a bit of a pickle===

Pickel

Maybe they should talk to Madgian about it.

Comment by Skeptic Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 11:17 am
Pritzker has said he would like to see all income taxes go up, until a progressive income tax is passed, with not telling tax payers what rates would be on income groups, under a progressive tax. This is confirming to voters that he is a tax and spend democrat.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 11:23 am
Just go for the jugular JB, 90 percent tax on all income above $50m. Then we can see what it’s all about for Bruce.

Comment by Precinct Captain Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 11:24 am
Well at least JBs idea is divergent from the usual Illinois tome of Spend Spend Tax Tax. This will be something new and exciting, tax and spend lavishly. Somebody better pass an exit tax on businesses(like they hit you with traveling out of the country when you try to return to the US)that will be sure to raise considerable funds even if its only a one time infusion.

Comment by theCardinal Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 11:26 am
To navigate between the Scylla of leaving a void for Rauner to fill and the Charybdes of detailing numbers for Rauner to distort, Pritzker should spend the fall constantly listing the several neighboring Midwestern states he hopes broadly to model Illinois’ structure after. It’s easy for Rauner to demonize an abstraction (or, worse, a specific plan), but it’s lots harder to make joining the club of states like Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota look like inciting Armageddon.

Comment by Math(usually)Doesn’tLie Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 11:48 am
To the addition, I don’t know if Rep. Martwick’s numbers pan out, but taking him at his word he makes a solid case, just needed to add a *mic drop* at the end.

Comment by Perrid Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 12:50 pm
==So what’s the difference?==

Wisconsin taxes retirement income.

Comment by City Zen Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 12:53 pm
No, no, and no. Pritzker does not need to offer any specifics at all, nor should he. When asked, he should respond every single time with what he says in the new commercial: “Taxes should be higher for wealthy people like me and Bruce Rauner, and go down for everyone else”.

Not a one of you complained when Rauner offered no details when he claimed he alone was able to fix our problems while allowing the tax increase to expire. None of you raised an issue when he offered no specifics as to how holding the budget hostage for “reforms” would fix our problems. Y’all also went out of your way to ignore the 1.4% study. To howl about Pritzker doing something similar now is nothing short of hypocrisy.

Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 12:55 pm
===Not a one of you complained when Rauner offered no details when he claimed he alone was able to fix our problems while allowing the tax increase to expire.===

Really?

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 12:56 pm
@CityZen. Wisconsin may tax retirement income, but my plan did not. I only adopted their rates. The approx $6 billion in new revenue is without taxing retirement income.

Comment by Rep. Rob Martwick Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 1:22 pm
==Really?==

Not you, OW. Directed at the varied “Anonymous” commenters, which were legion during the time period I referenced.

Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 2:03 pm
- Lester Holt’s Mustache -

You’re all good. I was feeling cheeky and tweaked ya.

You’re a good sport.

Keep on keeping on.

OW

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 2:09 pm
Tax retirement income but offer a nonrefundable tax credit to offset the liability for those with a lower retirement income

Comment by Huckleberry Mentat Friday, Aug 17, 18 @ 2:58 pm