State Rep. Darren Bailey | File photo
State Rep. Darren Bailey | File photo
State Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) has another name for the fair tax Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been pushing since his days on the campaign trial.
“I call it the message of deception and destruction,” Bailey told the SE Illinois News. “They're selling this message when common sense logic tells us there’s no way things can happen like that,” he stated.
A new Illinois Policy Institute analysis projects that small businesses across the state soon could be forced to pay as much as a 50.3% marginal income tax rate should the tax appearing on the Nov. 3 ballot in the form of a referendum question garner the support it needs for passage. Ignoring growing warnings from many that the tax stands to handcuff small business owners even more, the governor continues to push his signature proposal as one that will only mean higher tax rates for the state’s most affluent residents.
At around 60% of net job creation, small business owners currently rank as the state’s biggest job creators. But those numbers could soon be on the decline, with researchers finding an increase in the top marginal tax rate could mean a slide in the hiring practices of entrepreneurs and slumping earnings for workers.
“More and more people are becoming aware of the dangers of this tax,” Bailey added. “People like the governor are selling it as a fair tax, but that’s in name only. Before Election Day rolls around, we’re trying to educate as many voters as we can about what it would really mean."
Bailey concedes changing more minds won't come easily given all the resources and effort the governor has put into selling the tax he’s pushed since being a candidate.
“People look to the governor for answers in these uncertain times and sadly in this case the only one they have is more taxes,” he said. “They’ve created this mess and no way of getting out of the cycle and we’re all paying a hefty price for it. The truth is the governor is only creating more problems with these crazy policy proposals.”