Pritzker: Not 'focused' on bringing progressive tax back to voters

[January 23, 2023]  By Andrew Hensel | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – Illinois voters rejected a proposal in 2020 to change the state's flat income tax to a graduated tax. There are currently discussions to try the measure again. Gov. J.B. Pritzker, however, said that's not on his radar.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker
Courtesy of BlueRoomStream

The Illinois Constitution requires a flat income tax. The progressive income tax proposal would have created different tax rates for different income levels. Voters rejected that idea.

Crain's Chicago Business reported this week that state Sen. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, plans to offer up the measure again in the coming weeks.

During his trip to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, Pritzker was asked about the possibility of the proposal coming back.

Pritzker did not answer the question directly but said his focus would be on other areas.

"That's not something I am focused on this session," Pritzker said. "We have done important work to balance the budget and close corporate loopholes. There is a mistaken belief by some that the balancing of the budget was entirely because of money that came from ARPA [American Rescue Plan Act] to the government, and that is just false."

Many fiscal observers disagree, and argue Illinois' finances will be in dire straits again when the federal COVID-19 relief money runs out.

Pritzker said Illinois made improvements without raising taxes on certain income levels.

"I am excited about the fact that we balanced the budget with the existing resources and enhanced revenue in a way that doesn't raise any of the major forms of taxation in Illinois," Pritzker said.

Martwick could not be immediately reached for comment but did issue a statement to WTTW.

"We are on course, a crash course, with our finances. Eventually, we have massive pension debt that we have to pay down," Martwick said. "We have commitments to fund public education, and the reality of it is, is that our revenue trajectories long-term don't match our debt trajectories. So if we don't do something, whether this is the best idea or not, then we're putting the next generation in the position where they're going to be forced to make draconian cuts just to get by."

Illinois residents already pay among the highest taxes in the nation.

Andrew Hensel reports on issues in Chicago and Statewide. He has been with The Center Square News since April of 2021 and was previously with The Joliet Slammers.