81st House candidates take opposing views on taxes
For every view the incumbent for the 81st state House seat takes about taxes, his challenger takes the opposite stance.
Republican state Rep. Ron Sandack and Democratic challenger Liz Chaplin disagree about whether the increase to state income taxes should expire as planned; whether Illinois should keep a flat income tax or switch to a progressive tax; and how local property taxes should be controlled.
The candidates are running in the Nov. 4 election to represent a district that includes parts of Darien, Downers Grove, Lisle, Naperville, Westmont and Woodridge, and their opposing views on taxes do much to distinguish them. Here is a rundown of where Sandack, a 50-year-old attorney from Downers Grove, and Chaplin, a 49-year-old accountant from Downers Grove, stand on three taxation issues.
Income tax rate
When the state income tax rate was increased to 5 percent in 2011, it was scheduled to drop to 3.75 percent in 2015. Whether that decrease should happen as planned, or whether the state should keep taxing at the higher rate, now is a politically divisive issue.
Sandack says the legislators who helped approve the tax increase four years ago made a promise to manage money better so higher taxes could be temporary. Going back on that promise would be "offensive" to taxpayers, he said.
"Remember the context in which that tax was raised. It was raised because we needed to pay some bills, and we needed to right-size government. We needed to do certain reforms and fix some of the mechanisms that make up state government, and I can tell you there's been no reform. Zero," Sandack said. "That is bad cash management. That's bad governance."
Chaplin, meanwhile, said she worries more about how the state would function without revenue from the higher income tax. She said the state has made progress on paying down some bills and contributing toward pension obligations, and she wants to see that continue.
"If we don't keep that revenue, if we don't find some source of funding, it's going to be really detrimental to our state," she said.
Flat or progressive?
Chaplin says she'd like to see the state switch to a progressive income tax, in which higher-wage earners are taxed at a higher rate.
"I do support the progressive income tax. I'd like to see the issue looked at again," Chaplin said.
She said implementing a progressive income tax could help allocate more money for education and possibly lower local property taxes, which are the main funding source for suburban schools.
Sandack called the progressive income tax "unfair," and said it's something his constituents wouldn't like.
"The idea of a progressive income tax is basically a tax increase on top of a tax increase," he said. "It's a bad idea."
Property taxes
One tax idea Sandack is touting is freezing property taxes when home values are decreasing. He introduced a bill in March that would create such a policy.
Sandack called the proposal a "measured approach," although it would result in less funding for local units of government.
"They're going to have to manage their money better, just like taxpayers, because in the end, when it comes down to school boards or municipalities versus taxpayers, I think finally things should weigh in favor of taxpayers on this issue," Sandack said. "I think the school district, the local municipalities and the umpteen levels of government can manage. I think people have already managed and it's been unfair. And I think we need to make things fair again."
Chaplin said it's best to leave taxing authority to local governments as much as possible. Limited by tax caps, many school districts and small municipalities already lack a measure of control over their taxing ability, and she said Sandack's proposal would further diminish that autonomy.
"I'd hate to leave that to Springfield to tell our school districts they can't levy taxes," she said. "I'm very much a big proponent of local control as far as municipalities and our school districts go. I don't think sending it to Springfield is the right thing to do."