Collect what state owed before cutting

I worked in credit and collections for 20 years, and we used to have a saying: "If you owe it, pay it!" I've often wondered why Illinois does such a lousy job of collecting the debts it is owed.

I attended State Rep. Jack Franks' town hall meeting in Woodstock Dec. 2. Rep. Franks explained to the crowd that the state is currently owed more than $1 billion in unpaid corporate taxes, fees and other receivables. The state is doing such a terrible job at collecting that money that he is filing a bill to require the state to sell the debt to a third party. Not only would the debt finally get collected, but according to Rep. Franks, the state of Illinois stands to gain a nearly $500 million immediate cash influx from the sale.

The governor says we're $14 billion in the red. But there's $1 billion owed to the state that he is basically just ignoring. With that kind of money just sitting out there, Gov. Quinn has no business talking about raising taxes or cutting important programs.

Gerald P. Crohn

Woodstock