This diagram below is kinda misleading because it combines different types of taxes, but I still think it's illustrative. Obviously, income taxes are higher now. Same with corporate taxes which aren't reflected in the diagram.

A 1.2% income tax increase is hardly plunder. State income tax in Illinois is not what hurts residents here. That's property taxes and sales taxes.Socnorb11 wrote:Democrats and Republicans came together to plunder its citizens.G. Keenan wrote:We're back baby!
Ok not quite. But at long last the state of Illinois has a budget. And all it took was Democrats and Republicans coming together to override the veto of a billionaire who bought the governor's office for no other reason than to bust up unions. A man who cited Kentucky as an economic model to which the state of Illinois should aspire.
Celebrate good times.
G. Keenan wrote:A 1.2% income tax increase is hardly plunder. State income tax in Illinois is not what hurts residents here. That's property taxes and sales taxes.Socnorb11 wrote:Democrats and Republicans came together to plunder its citizens.G. Keenan wrote:We're back baby!
Ok not quite. But at long last the state of Illinois has a budget. And all it took was Democrats and Republicans coming together to override the veto of a billionaire who bought the governor's office for no other reason than to bust up unions. A man who cited Kentucky as an economic model to which the state of Illinois should aspire.
Celebrate good times.
It's pretty simple. Illinois has a massive pile of debt and the only way to start digging out of that is to increase revenues. The state is not going to increase revenues through Bruce Rauner's agenda. We've watched that formula fail time and again everywhere its been tried. So where is the money going to come from?
Oh I agree fully. The money has to come from somewhere, that's all I'm saying. The long-term budget problems are totally on the state Dems, but Rauner has had zero real solutions to fix it. His entire candidacy and governorship have been devoted to nothing other than trying to make Illinois a "right-to-work" state and bust up the unions. He's been demanding that Dems concede that since getting elected, refusing to entertain any budget without first getting union busting laws passed.Michael wrote:G. Keenan wrote:A 1.2% income tax increase is hardly plunder. State income tax in Illinois is not what hurts residents here. That's property taxes and sales taxes.Socnorb11 wrote:Democrats and Republicans came together to plunder its citizens.G. Keenan wrote:We're back baby!
Ok not quite. But at long last the state of Illinois has a budget. And all it took was Democrats and Republicans coming together to override the veto of a billionaire who bought the governor's office for no other reason than to bust up unions. A man who cited Kentucky as an economic model to which the state of Illinois should aspire.
Celebrate good times.
It's pretty simple. Illinois has a massive pile of debt and the only way to start digging out of that is to increase revenues. The state is not going to increase revenues through Bruce Rauner's agenda. We've watched that formula fail time and again everywhere its been tried. So where is the money going to come from?
It all hurts and it all adds up.
I think taxes had to be raised, but this state is already insanely expensive and those increases in the context of what we already pay are significant. Businesses and high net worth individuals are fleeing this state with good reason.
Also, this isn't all on Rauner by a long shot. The dem's screwed this state royally.
Are the differences in overall state tax burdens of a couple percentage points really the reason Illinois is insanely expensive or is it that Chicago is expensive because real estate (and the fact that taxes are tied to real estate values)?Michael wrote:I think taxes had to be raised, but this state is already insanely expensive and those increases in the context of what we already pay are significant.
It's everything. And these few %'s add up and put a finer point on it this is nearly a 33% income tax increase. The additional corporate taxes matter too. I'd be less annoyed if I felt the services the state provided were excellent, but they aren't anything special.Arthur Dent wrote:Are the differences in overall state tax burdens of a couple percentage points really the reason Illinois is insanely expensive or is it that Chicago is expensive because real estate (and the fact that taxes are tied to real estate values)?Michael wrote:I think taxes had to be raised, but this state is already insanely expensive and those increases in the context of what we already pay are significant.
Seems to me that this is the problem -- political dysfunction results in taxes that don't deliver for residents.Michael wrote:I'd be less annoyed if I felt the services the state provided were excellent, but they aren't anything special.
G. Keenan wrote:A 1.2% income tax increase is hardly plunder. State income tax in Illinois is not what hurts residents here. That's property taxes and sales taxes.Socnorb11 wrote:Democrats and Republicans came together to plunder its citizens.G. Keenan wrote:We're back baby!
Ok not quite. But at long last the state of Illinois has a budget. And all it took was Democrats and Republicans coming together to override the veto of a billionaire who bought the governor's office for no other reason than to bust up unions. A man who cited Kentucky as an economic model to which the state of Illinois should aspire.
Celebrate good times.