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Pritzker hit on taxes

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Illinois

A new editorial from the Chicago Tribune is calling out J.B. Pritzker’s tax plan for Illinois, pointing out that Pritzker seems to only want one thing – tax hikes and more spending the state can’t afford.

It has been reported that Pritzker has refused to pay his own fair share in taxes – he’s been caught claiming that his Gold Coast mansion is “uninhabitable” to get huge property tax breaks and has reportedly set up offshore shell companies in the Bahamas with the likely aim of dodging federal taxes.

But on the trail, Pritzker’s promised to raise taxes even higher, and it’s leading the Chicago Tribune to ask, “Does Pritzker get it?”

“What we’ve heard and read so far is that Pritzker wants to tax and spend the state to greatness…raising taxes is no cure-all. It’s a move that will drive away even more employers, jobs and residents.”

J.B. Pritzker’s plan for Illinois is a blatant exercise in hypocrisy – he supposedly won’t pay his own fair share in taxes, but will hike taxes on everyone else.

* From the editorial…

“It’s not right that government can destroy your credit and confiscate your car because you can’t afford a few parking tickets,” he said on election night. Hmm, so Gov. Pritzker would pay your parking tickets, too? We’re not sure, but that sounds expensive.

That’s so disingenuous. The idea is to stop criminalizing poverty, not make the state pay parking tickets. They certainly know that.

* Anyway, back to the premise. Voters don’t do nuance. And Rauner’s main message is easy to understand and was summed up well in the RGA release: Pritzker avoids taxes while hypocritically wanting you to pay more.

Pritzker counters that he doesn’t want regular folks to pay more, he wants the well-off to pay more via a graduated tax. But he hasn’t specified what his rates would be at what income levels. And one of the only graduated tax bills out there is this one that the Illinois Policy Institute is relentlessly attacking…

House Bill 3522, filed by state Rep. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, would tax incomes between $0 and $7,500 at 4 percent. For income between $7,500 and $15,000, the rate would be 5.84 percent. For income between $15,000 and $225,000, the rate would be 6.27 percent. And for income over $225,000, the rate would be 7.65 percent.

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Pritzker was asked earlier today if he supports Martwick’s bill. He said he didn’t and claimed the Illinois Policy Institute was just trying to get Rauner reelected.

I’m not sure what the heck Rep. Martwick was thinking (I asked him if he had any second thoughts this morning, but haven’t heard back), unless the plan is to kill the bill to show Democrats are against those goofy rates.

* From the Rauner campaign…

Now that the general election is here, we need to focus on the issues that unite us, like cutting taxes, so that we can continue building a better future for Illinois.

Meanwhile, JB Pritzker is focusing on figuring out a way to raise taxes on middle-class families. We can’t let that happen!

Donate $10 to our Unity Fund today to show the Democrats that we are ready to take on JB Pritzker in November.

Let’s keep fighting!

Team Rauner

He’s got a “Unity Fund”?

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:02 am

Comments

Tribune editorials . . . matter because why?

Comment by siriusly Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:04 am
Has anyone talked to Rahm about the parking tickets? This issue exists because of City ordinances not State laws. According to Propublica 7% of Chicago’s revenues come from tickets and fines. This has a huge impact on poor people.

Is it an issue for the Governor or the Mayor?

Comment by jeffinginChicago Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:09 am
To the Rauner “Unity Fund”… if Pritzker can self-fund, why can’t you??? It would be more to the genuine and keeping to character if Rauner posted instead- “Give us $10 or the interns starve- No pizza parties (or Uno cards).”

Comment by Anon221 Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:10 am
J.B. should legally do everything he can to bring his wealth (most trusts are probably outside his control) back to the US/Illinois banks/investments, then he should write a check to the assessor for the mansion fiasco and say, your turn Bruce, next issue. He is running for governor and leads by example.

Comment by Rutro Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:18 am
I hope Pritzker summons some inner Bernie inasmuch as he starts talking numbers. He needs to point out just how bad the deficit and debt are, and that we have 2 options: cut expenditures (the vast majority of which are either non-discretionary or are essential public services) or increase revenue.

Since those public services (healthcare, education, public safety, infrastructure) are most needed by the poor/working/middle classes, we’re really talking about taking things away from the neediest among us or asking the wealthy to contribute their fair share. Pritzker needs to establish this narrative now and repeat it like a drum beat so voters understand the real choice we have to make as a state.

Comment by Metal Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:19 am
Rauner has a Unity Fund. Isn’t that special. You get a blame Madigan decoder ring when you join.

Comment by XDNR Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:22 am
Unity Fund?

I thought that was ILGo.

Right? Exactly right.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:22 am
The Human Fund was already taken.

Comment by City Zen Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:25 am
Is there an estimate on how much revenue House Bill 3522 would raise?

Comment by supplied_demand Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:30 am
Martwick’s bill is not good. The tax rates should be higher on higher incomes and lower on lower ones.

Pritzker needs to point out the difference between his philosophy and Rauner’s. He can challenge Rauner and say it’s time for wealthy people to pay more. Rauner is against the wealthy paying higher taxes. Rauner’s “toilet-ripping” in a sense is his refusal to pay a higher state income tax.

Comment by Grandson of Man Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:34 am
If you contribute to Rauner’s unity fund he should send you a miniature Madigan clock
With all the money JB is spending on election he should just put toilets back in mansion and say he changed mind about renovations for now and pay proper amount and back taxes and be done with it

Comment by DuPage Saint Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:34 am
Is there any other choice? We are doomed with only these two choices.

Comment by Dan24 Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:35 am
Rich folk sure do hate taxes and paying them. It’s a principle they must pick up at Kellogg and Booth or wherever. If they learn nothing else; they learn that.

Comment by A guy Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:39 am
State is heading down. The more taxes increase under Pritzker, the more the exodus of tax payers and business will be.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:45 am
House is on sale. Heading to Michigan. 4.25% flat income tax, 6% sales tax

Comment by Anyone Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:49 am
===I’m not sure what the heck Rep. Martwick was thinking===

FWIW, the rates are the same as Wisconsin’s, and the brackets are similar.

https://www.tax-brackets.org/wisconsintaxtable

Trolling the IPI and their admiration of Scott Walker?

Comment by The Iceman Cometh Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 11:50 am
Martwick’s bill is bad politics in an election year, but that is what we can expect with a progressive income tax. If the goal is net new revenues, you cannot expect a middle class tax cut to be made up for by only increasing taxes on $1MM incomes.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 12:01 pm
Does Martwick’s plan include separate brackets for single vs married? Most states do this.

Comment by City Zen Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 12:12 pm
=“What we’ve heard and read so far is that Pritzker wants to tax and spend the state to greatness…raising taxes is no cure-all. It’s a move that will drive away even more employers, jobs and residents.”=

I would like to see evidence of these statements.

=House is on sale. Heading to Michigan. 4.25% flat income tax, 6% sales tax=

Enjoy. And by enjoy I mean enjoy lower wages and higher expenses. You want the road in front of your house repaired? You will pay for it. Personally. Michigan has the most dirt roads this side of the Mississippi as well. Everything is pay to play there.

You won’t be missed.

Comment by JS Mill Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 12:16 pm
High income families and corporations just got a huge federal income tax break which they neither needed or deserved.
Asking them to share that windfall with the state to provide essential education, health, and public safety services is entirely in order.
Naysayers should tell us where they would cut a few billon from the budget and why it’s right to have a tax structure like the one we have now where lower and middle income families spend a higher proportion of their incomes in state and local taxes than do wealthy families

Comment by Truthteller Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 12:18 pm
Rauner wants to cut taxes for prosperity. Like Kansas?

Comment by Streamwood Retiree Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 12:22 pm
When I lived in Virginia, the nominal rate was three times that of Illinois, but I actually paid less tax because one simply copied the US taxable income over to the (one page) Virginia return, applied the rate, then added 50% for the County/City. my property tax was $300. The neighbors thought it was too high and thought I was lying when I said I paid $1,000 in Lake County. (Obviously a long time ago.)

Comment by Streamwood Retiree Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 12:31 pm
Illinois is tied for the fifth highest state and local tax burden in the nation right now. JB wants to increase the tax burden on a dwindling population. I’m sure thisthis will turn out well.

Comment by Ron Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 12:37 pm
Other than a protected political and public sector, we get very little for that tax burden.

Comment by Ron Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 12:39 pm
Kansas was never near the top in tax burdens though.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 12:41 pm
Facts matter, other than to tax and spenders apparently.

Comment by Ron Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 12:44 pm
Wouldn’t the graduated income tax rate require a constitutional amendment?

SECTION 2. NON-PROPERTY TAXES - CLASSIFICATION,
EXEMPTIONS, DEDUCTIONS, ALLOWANCES AND CREDITS

In any law classifying the subjects or objects of non-property taxes or fees, the classes shall be reasonable and the subjects and objects within each class shall be taxed uniformly. Exemptions, deductions, credits, refunds and other allowances shall be reasonable.
(Source: Illinois Constitution.)

Comment by titan Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 12:55 pm
JB needs to show us a plan on his new taxes. Keep in mind JB also supports repealing the state constitution amendment on Rent Control and that is a bad idea. It has been proven in NY and SF to significantly reduce the quantity of rental units.His plan is going to have to deal with some sort of property tax relief if he raises income taxes on 75% of the state

Comment by Silicon Prairie Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 12:55 pm
Let JB. tell the people of Illinois how he plans on dealing with huge deficit and his plans for increasing spending. Let the voter judge.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 1:03 pm
Silicon, don’t hold your breath.

Comment by Ron Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 1:10 pm
0% to poverty line
3% to middle income line
5% to upper middle income line
7% above upper middle income line

With a stipulation that rates will drop when pensions are 80% funded.

Comment by A Jack Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 1:32 pm
For everyone who thinks we can manage with our current income tax rates my question to you is what do you propose we do to pay off the debts that have been run up by our current administration? Specify where the cuts, if any, need to come from.

Comment by The Dude Abides Friday, Mar 23, 18 @ 2:00 pm