SE Illinois News

Patrick Windhorst is warning voters in the 118th House District what a vote for his opponent, incumbent Rep. Natalie Phelps Finnie (D-Elizabethtown),  could mean for them over the long run.

“My opponent has made it clear that she intends to join (House Speaker Mike) Madigan and (Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B.) Pritzker as they push for a new, additional progressive tax on top of the 32 percent income tax increase that was just approved last year," Windhorst recently posted on Facebook.

Windhorst points to the 33,000 residents the state lost in 2017 as a whole and the more than 1,000 that directly fled from around his region as glaring examples of just how life-altering the repercussions of actions taken by lawmakers in Springfield can be.

Rep. Natalie Phelps Finnie

The latest tax increase would come in the form of a progressive tax that supporters insist would have to be approved before the rates of it could be figured out, according to the Chicago Tribune. No matter what the numbers might be, Windhorst argues that it adds up as more bad news for already overburdened taxpayers. 

“Another tax increase will drive more people out of our state,” he added on Facebook. “We cannot afford to continue this madness. It's time for accountability in Springfield. When the machine asks for a blank check then refuses to provide details to honest questions concerning their plan, we must demand better.”

The 118th House District includes parts or all of Alexander, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, Saline and Union counties.