McHenry Times

Illinois Senate leaders had hoped to hold a vote as early as last week on a proposed budget plan that would raise the personal income tax rate to at least 4.95 percent, but the complex nature of the deal stalled the vote.

The plan, crafted by Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) and Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont), has continued to evolve in recent days. It would reportedly borrow $7 billion to pay off bills, expand legalized gambling, impose stricter rules on workers’ compensation and freeze local property taxes for two years.

“I think that hiking taxes without significant reforms is a recipe for disaster,” state Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-Crystal Lake) told the McHenry Times. “I will strongly oppose a tax hike.”

The plan originally proposed a new tax on sugary drinks, but strong opposition from a number of business groups nixed that part of the plan, the Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday.

Skillicorn said that he was particularly troubled by the sugary drink tax because it “is a regressive tax.”

“Notice that politicians in Springfield aren't taxing Starbucks but specifically the lower and middle classes with the sugary drink tax,” he said. “This tax even includes diet drinks which have no sugar in them.”

Senate leaders have been negotiating the deal in an attempt to solve the state’s unprecedented 18-month budget stalemate.

Although some might view the proposal as a sign of progress between Springfield Republicans and Democrats, many are concerned that Illinoisans can’t take any more tax hikes.

Illinois lost more than $14 billion in annual adjusted gross income as a result of the 2011 tax hike that raised taxes for four years, according to the Illinois Policy Institute. Many residents left the state during the same period.

The Illinois Policy Institute also reported that between 2015-16, the state saw a net loss of 114,000 people -- the highest outward migration in Illinois history.