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 Gov. J.B. Pritzker continues pushing for voters to adopt the
progressive income tax amendment on Nov. 3, including with $56 million of
donations toward the cause. At the same time, federal investigators have
arrested or implicated in criminal investigations five lawmakers who also
supported the amendment.
The investigations leave voters to wonder whether these lawmakers really were
thinking about what is best for Illinois taxpayers when they backed the
progressive tax.
Luis Arroyo
Former Illinois House Assistant Majority Leader Luis Arroyo pleaded not guilty
in February to a federal bribery charge. He is accused of bribing one of his
former colleagues for support on a gambling bill.
According to a federal complaint made public in October, Arroyo met with a state
senator seeking support for gambling legislation that would benefit one of
Arroyo’s lobbying clients. A Chicago Tribune source at the time identified the
senator as state Sen. Terry Link, D-Indian Creek, who is the chair of the
subcommittee on gambling and was an assistant majority leader in the Illinois
Senate at the time.
The two met at a Highland Park restaurant Aug. 22 and stepped outside to talk,
where Arroyo allegedly offered Link a bribe while Link was wearing a wire for
the FBI.
“I’m going to give you this here. This is, this is, this is the jackpot,” Arroyo
said as he handed Link $2,500, with the promise of monthly payments in the same
amount.
Arroyo resigned in November after being encouraged to do so by Speaker of the
House Michael Madigan. While in office, Arroyo’s leadership position made him a
key player in the passing of Pritzker’s “fair tax” amendment.
Martin Sandoval
Former chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee Martin Sandoval pleaded
guilty in January to taking $250,000 in bribes from SafeSpeed, a red-light
camera vendor, as well as filing a false tax return. He worked closely with the
company to block legislation threatening the $1 billion industry in Illinois. In
September, a series of raids involving the FBI and IRS targeted the home and
offices of Sandoval as agents searched for information about his relationship
with Commonwealth Edison.
As part of his agreement with prosecutors, Sandoval has agreed to cooperate with
investigators looking into the state’s deepening corruption probe. His name was
mentioned in a subpoena served to Madigan as federal investigators look into the
speaker’s relationships. Investigators want any communication Madigan had with
Sandoval, including on Chinatown properties and a bill Sandoval sponsored.
While Sandoval worked on deals to benefit himself, he publicly proclaimed his
support for Pritzker’s “fair tax.”
“It’s absurd that families who are struggling to make ends meet are paying the
same income tax rate as the wealthiest residents of our state,” Sandoval said
after voting for the amendment.
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“It’s long past time to implement a fair and
equitable tax system that will provide relief to middle and working
class taxpayers who have been carrying an undue financial burden in
this state.”
Terry Link
When Link wore a wire for the FBI to implicate Arroyo on bribery
charges, it was part of his deal to cooperate with authorities
investigating Link’s own behavior.
Sources to the Chicago Tribune identified Link as “cooperating
witness one” in Arroyo’s case, although the senator denied being the
FBI’s witness. Link wore the wire in hopes of a lighter sentence on
pending tax fraud charges.
A member of the Legislative Ethics Commission and the assistant
majority leader in the Senate, Link is being investigated for filing
false income taxes in 2016. With more than two decades in the
Senate, Link’s support for the progressive income tax carries a lot
of weight.
Tom Cullerton
State Sen. Tom Cullerton, D-Villa Park, was indicted in federal
court in August on 41 counts for embezzlement, conspiracy and making
false statements. He allegedly pocketed about $275,000 in salary and
health benefits from the Teamsters for a do-nothing job. Cullerton
pleaded not guilty to the charges.
A Senate Democrat and distant cousin of former Senate President John
Cullerton, Tom Cullerton was also a supporter of the progressive
income tax, which could raise taxes by 47% on small businesses.
Michael Madigan
Anything that passes in the Illinois General Assembly must have the
blessing of Speaker Madigan. A high-profile bill like Pritzker’s
progressive income tax is no exception.
Madigan was implicated on July 17 in bribery charges filed against
ComEd. The charges allege that ComEd directed $1.3 million to
Madigan’s associates in exchange for support on key legislation to
benefit the energy company. Madigan would also be allowed to name
people to jobs at ComEd. The FBI served Madigan with a grand jury
subpoena in search of documents about his relationship with several
companies and individuals, including whether he helped the
individuals or a family member get a job.
The speaker’s support for Pritzker’s progressive income tax –
encouraged by a $7 million donation from Pritzker just before
Election Day in 2018 – was critical in getting the measure on the
statewide ballot.
Given these cases, it’s unsurprising that polling shows about half
of Illinoisans see Pritzker’s progressive tax not as a “fair tax,”
but rather as a “blank check” for untrustworthy politicians.
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