SE Illinois News

Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Teutopolis) said he wonders what it will take for Democrats in Springfield to get the message of how voters feel about progressive income taxing.

"I think voters are tired of tax increases, and they made that abundantly clear last year when they overwhelmingly rejected the progressive income tax," Niemerg told SE Illinois News. "They do not trust career politicians to do what they say they are going to do when they ask for more tax dollars."

Niemerg said he was shocked to hear that newly elected House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch (D-Hillside) was considering the idea of the tax three months after voters rejected it — despite Gov. J.B. Pritzker investing millions of his own in a campaign aimed to sell the tax as being only on the state's wealthiest residents.

"There has not been any effort on the part of the majority party in the House and the Senate to enact any meaningful spending reforms," Niemerg said. "The only solution the majority party has is to raise taxes. Voters have figured out what is going on, and they are not willing to go along with more tax increases until there is a serious effort to reduce spending. We don't need more tax increases. We need better fiscal policies."

This time around, Welch said that revenues generated from it would be used as part of a plan to pay down the state's $141 billion of pensions obligation.

In November, the progressive proposal earned only 46.7% of the 60% needed for passage, with several Democratic districts moving to reject the measure.

Illinois now spends almost a quarter of every tax dollar on the state's pensions.