McHenry Times

Rep. Steven Reick (R-Woodstock) recently talked down tax credits and levy freezes in his opposition to proposed legislation.

Reick argued against SB403, a bill creating a $750 income tax credit for any Illinois county declared a major disaster in the July 2017 that was sponsored by Rep. Sam Yingling (D-Grayslake), and SB851, a bill to allow a referendum-approved property tax freeze for five counties that was sponsored by Rep. Michelle Mussman (D-Schaumburg), during House veto session floor debate Nov. 8.

Reick first addressed SB403, arguing Yingling did not properly define the bill's language.

“I do several hundred tax returns a year, and have for many, many years, and I can see a regulatory and compliance nightmare coming up here without full definition of this,” Reick said of the bill that would apply to Lake, Carroll, Cook, Henry, Joe Davies, Kane, Lee, McHenry, Ogell, Rock Island, Stevenson and Whiteside counties.

“I am not against what you are trying to do, but I really have a problem with how this bill is drafted,” Reick said. “It’s not tight enough.”

Yingling countered saying all language in the bill was provided by the Department of Revenue, which was still no excuse for the confusion, according to Reick.  

“I would really like this bill to be taken out of consideration and redone,” Reick said.

Against Reick’s rejection, SB403 passed 97-17.

Reick then found fault with SB851, arguing the bill that would freeze taxes for Cook, McHenry, Lake, DuPage and Will counties for the levy years of 2017-18, if voted for by referendum, was no freeze at all.

“The first issue I have is if you freeze taxes to certain people you are going to switch the tax liability over to others,” Reick said. “The tax liability of the county is not going to go down, it is just going to be shifted over to businesses and renters.”

He also argued freezing property taxes would cause municipalities to have to borrow money to pay existing debts and pending pensions.

“How do you answer to your constituents your taxing bodies are going out on a borrowing spree simply because we have told them they can’t extend their levies,” Reick asked.  

He stopped his argument to ask for a vote verification and to put on the record his desire to deduct taxes.

“I want to lower property taxes, but we do it through reform,” Reick said, adding it is not accomplished with gimmicks like freezes. “You are hamstringing local governments in business, and we have no business hamstringing local governments." 

He called the bill "gotcha" politics, which is unacceptable going into an election year.

“Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong,” Reick said. “Let’s withdraw this bill and rethink it. Let’s make a bill we can all live with that will cut property taxes.”

SB851 passed 75-32.