Dupage Policy Journal

State Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) recently jumped at the chance to confer with someone else on the one subject constituents most want to engage him on – taxation.

“The number one issue I hear about from residents is taxation in the state of Illinois,” Morrison recently told Brian Costin of Americans for Prosperity Action on the No Unfair Tax Campaign.

“For most people, the biggest tax burden that they face is on their property taxes," Morrison said. "So you know, that's the state's component on property taxes. But again, whether you're talking about property taxes or income taxes or sales taxes or gas taxes, you're talking about different pockets. If the number one issue that constituents are telling me is that the taxation is out of control, it's becoming too expensive to live here.”

Morrison argues the progressive income tax proposal that’s set to be on the November ballot and is supported by Gov. J.B. Pritzker will only make the terrain more treacherous. The governor is pushing the proposed levy as a measure that will only mean higher tax rates for the state’s most affluent.

“It's just always more, more and more raising rates, creating new taxes,” Morrison said. “And I think that's why taxpayers will continue to be frustrated and why they should be distrustful of giving the legislature even greater power to tax income.”

Critics of the so-called graduated tax argue it essentially amounts to a blank check for Springfield in the way the legislation is crafted.

“You're going to see the ads and the ads will say, ‘Well, it'll only affect people making $250,000 a year,’” Morrison said. “There are no handcuffs on that tax rate or that income threshold. I think your viewers need to understand that.”

Costin argues that lawmakers have no one to blame but themselves for the lack of trust many of their constituents feel given their badly tarnished track record.

“Really, the entire state of Illinois, in going back to 2011, what should have our tax rate been right now if they would have kept those promises,” he said. “It would have been 3.75%.”

No Republican lawmakers are publicly supporting the progressive tax, which will appear on the ballot in the form of a referendum and requires the passage of a constitutional amendment or a majority vote for passage.  

Morrison argues that Democrats have been building for this moment far longer than just one election season.

“To put a question like this on the ballot requires a supermajority,” he said. “So they just poured everything they could into getting as many House Democrats as they could,” he added of the 2018 elections.

Many critics are opposed to the tax, arguing it could lead to the state moving to tax retirement income, which was recently confirmed by state Treasurer Mike Frerichs, a Democrat.

“First time I've heard somebody on that side so prominently say, well, you know what, one reason why the graduated tax proposal should pass is we've got these pension millionaires out there,” Morrison said. “And if we were to start taxing retirement income, all of the retirement income would have to be taxed.”