Dist. 55 House candidates debate state income tax hike

The Democratic challenger for Illinois House District 55 says any solution to the state's financial mess that doesn't include an income tax increase is “dishonest and cowardly."

Greg Brownfield, an attorney from Bartlett, says lawmakers must make tough choices to create new revenue, even if it means increasing the tax burden on Illinois residents.

“Frequently, people in public office are required to choose between one unpalatable option and an option that is even worse," said Brownfield, 49, who is challenging Republican incumbent Randy Ramey of Carol Stream. “You can't say we are going to borrow our way out of this and finesse our way out of this by pretending the problem does not exist."

For the past year, lawmakers have searched for answers to close a budget gap that has reached $13 billion. Brownfield supports pending legislation that would increase the state income tax rate from 3 percent to 5 percent, provided a sunset clause is included. He said in his role as an attorney, he has seen how the economy has affected families.

“The reason I got into the race was I was so concerned about how hard things are hitting people," he said. “Many middle-class folks have been pushed into poverty by current circumstances."

Brownfield said reduced services because of Illinois' unpaid bills means the time has come to make those tough decisions. The tax hike and some cuts would combine to close the gap, Brownfield said.

“The fact that both ideas are unpopular is why they run to the hills whenever they come up for debate," he said. “Nobody wants to talk about what is hard. But I would love to see a math equation that gets us (to a balanced budget) without a tax increase."

Ramey says he has that equation and at the forefront are savings from various Medicaid and pension reform measures, which he said together would cut about $6 billion from the deficit. His plan also would require that anyone receiving taxpayer-funded benefits be legal residents of Illinois.

Finally, across-the-board cuts to agencies outside of education and an improved business climate, which could mean a review of some taxes implemented by Gov. Rod Blagojevich, would help generate revenue, he said.

Ramey said the uncertainty of a tax hike and recently added taxes on areas such as payroll and health care have stopped businesses from adding jobs in Illinois.

“Business does not want to expand and create more jobs because they are afraid of the tax threat coming down the pipeline," he said. “Why would they want to expand without knowing how much money they are going to make?"

Ramey disputed Brownfield's contention that a balanced budget without a tax increase is impossible.

“He's talking like a Springfield Democrat," Ramey said. “If you cannot come up with a budget plan that says we can do this without a tax hike, I don't think you're trying hard enough. The last eight years, all they have done is keep spending and hope for a tax increase. To continue to say we need more taxes without addressing the budget is cowardly."

House District 55 covers the Northwest part of DuPage County and parts of Cook and Kane counties, including all of Bartlett and Wayne Township and parts of Carol Stream, St. Charles, South Elgin and Hanover Park.