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The report was done by Kiplinger and ranked the 10 worst states
for middle-class families when looking at the state's overall
tax burden.
"Sorry, Illinois, but you're the least tax-friendly state in the
country for middle-class families," the report said.
Illinois finished poorly on the list due to the impact on the
middle class from the state's flat income tax rate, average
combined state and local sales tax and its high property tax
burden that ranks second highest in the country.
"We
have an extraordinarily high tax burden, and you're asking the
middle class to foot the bill for everything that we do in
government," state Rep. Mike Marron, R-Danville, said. "We're
not very judicious with how we spend money in Springfield, which
is a huge problem. The middle class bears the brunt of that."
Illinois is a donor state, which means they give more in federal
taxes than the state receives per capita, said state Rep.
LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago. He claims this is the main issue
hurting the middle class.
"We need to overcome the fact that we are a donor state," Ford
told The Center Square. "When you look at what states are more
friendly to taxpayers, they are usually not donor states."
Ford said that past leadership has also played a part in
hindering the growth of the state's middle class.
"We had a horrible tenure of [former Gov. Bruce Rauner] that
really hurt the taxpayers," Ford said. "It's been a combination
of being unable to bring more money back from the federal
government and mismanagement over the years."
Rauner hasn't been in office since 2019 and served only four
years. Former Democratic Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan
served for nearly 40 years and faces two dozen federal
corruption-related charges tied to his role as speaker.
Marron told The Center Square that Illinois might be too far
into trouble to fix issues plaguing the middle class.
"I think being realistic, the state is set in its ways, and it
would be tough to change, but that does not mean we should not
try," Marron said. "That also doesn't mean that we cannot change
things."
Illinois is one of six states in the Midwest listed on
Kiplinger's top 10 worst states for middle-class residents.
Andrew Hensel has years of experience as a
reporter and pre-game host for the Joliet Slammers, and as a
producer for the Windy City Bulls. A graduate of Iowa Wesleyan
University and Illinois Media School, Andrew lives in the south
suburbs of Chicago.
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