McHenry Times

The Fair Tax proposal would be a monumental change for Illinois, potentially opening a Pandora's box to tax increases, according to Brian Costin, advisor to Americans for Prosperity Action-Illinois (AFP-IL).

“Right out of the gate, politicians will be attacking huge segments of our population’s job creators,” Costin told McHenry Times. “It's just a premonition of things to come, especially considering that they raised taxes on the poor and middle-class last year and the year before. I think that more tax hikes on the poor and the middle class are on the near horizon.”

Both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly passed the Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment No. 1, opening the way for the Fair Tax proposal to replace the state’s existing flat income tax – if approved by voters on Nov. 3.

“We want to let people know exactly what the amendment is,” Costin said in an interview. “A lot of the advertisements that people see are very misleading. They don't talk about what's being deleted and what's being replaced in the amendment. We want people to know that it's going to allow the state government to enact multiple income taxes on the people of Illinois instead of just one. They're deleting a couple of key sentences and replacing them with unlimited power. It's really important that people actually read the amendment and think about what it means for the future of the state of Illinois.”

Costin joined Sen. Dan McConchie (R-McHenry) at a Sept. 9 virtual town hall where they spoke directly to constituents about the proposed fair tax, also known as the graduated or progressive tax, that could potentially lead to tax hikes on senior citizens and the middle class.

“It divides the taxpayers of Illinois law and allows Springfield unlimited power to raise income taxes by pitting one against another,” said Costin.

McConchie said he voted "no" against placing the constitutional amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot because it would also lower constraints on spending.

“If the amendment is successful, it would give us the highest corporate income tax rate in the nation and it would give us the highest tax rates on so-called pass-through entities, which impact small businesses,” Andrew Nelms, senior advisor for AFP, told McHenry Times. “It would also give us one of the highest, lowest brackets of any state with a progressive income tax. The majority of states with a progressive income tax have the lowest rate of 2% or less.”

The current flat rate was instituted in 1969 and stands at 4.95% for individuals.

“Corruption is a huge issue,” Costin said. “Five of the people who voted to put this on the ballot have either been charged or convicted of a crime or named in a bribery scandal with ComEd. So, we have a lot of problems in the state of Illinois that need to be solved before we give politicians unlimited power to increase our taxes.”