What Pritzker should really do for state

Illinois hasn't had a balanced budget for nearly two decades. Now, the man who shattered self-funding records for his campaign is the one responsible for fixing it.

Gov.-elect Pritzker will inherit billions in outstanding bills, including this year's $1.5 billion budget shortfall and $130 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. Unfortunately, the solution he is proposing to close the funding gap is the implementation of a progressive income tax.

In reality, a progressive income tax couldn't do that. By some estimates, it would increase taxes on the average Illinois family by 21 percent, lose the state economy $5.5 billion and cost Illinoisans 34,500 jobs in the first year alone.

We already have the second highest property taxes in the nation. And Kane County homeowners pay even higher property taxes than the state average. In 2017, typical single-family homes paid $6,517, which is more than double the national average when measured as a share of home value.

The driving factor behind these increasing property taxes is Illinois' pension problem. We feel it both at home and at work.

In 2017, one Illinois resident left every 4.6 minutes. It's easy to see why a survey by Thumbtack, an online services company, ranked Illinois in last place out of the most business-friendly states.

Instead of looking for further tax hikes, Pritzker should be pushing for pension reform and a spending cap to better align with what Illinoisans can afford. We need to make Illinois an attractive place to live and conduct business again.

Taking appropriate action would prove Pritzker wants to be a governor for the whole state - not just Chicago and the Madigan Machine.

Connie Cain

Gilberts