As Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s progressive tax proposal draws closer to becoming the law of the land, state Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) fears what it could truly mean for Illinois.
“I think it will be disastrous for the state because even if Democrats get to raise taxes the way they want to, it still won’t pay for things the way they say it will,” Ugaste told the Kane County Reporter. “All I can see it doing is running more people out of the state of Illinois. The signal we would be sending is that there is no end to this in sight and that message would be coming at a time when no business wants to come here already because taxes are so high.”
Pritzker’s graduated tax plan took a huge step forward earlier this month when the Illinois House Revenue & Finance Committee approved a constitutional amendment that now sends the legislation before the full House for a vote. Following a 9-6 committee vote, Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 1 (SJRCA 1) needs a minimum of 71 votes in the House to assure a spot on the 2020 ballot in the form of a referendum question for voters.
Illinois state Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) on the House floor
| repugaste.com
“This will eventually hit the middle class, because anytime you have a graduated tax system it makes it much easier to raise taxes on everyone,” Ugaste added. “You get to pick and choose when and who you want to raise taxes on while trying to make sure you don’t anger so many people that you put yourself in danger of actually being voted out.”
The full Senate passed SJRCA 1 earlier this month in a session that also included the passage of a bill that would define graduated income tax rates should voters approve the ballot question.
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