Springfield wants a 'blank check'

As a third-generation Illinois manufacturer, I cannot imagine a situation where I would agree to give a vendor free rein to set pricing. Yet, that's what politicians are asking voters to do next fall: give Springfield a blank check to raise taxes and simply "trust them" to not tinker with the rates.

Please understand that if Springfield had come up with a revenue-enhancement plan that finally tackles the exorbitantly rich public pension crisis, many in the employer community would have at least been open minded. Instead, more than 20 separate taxes and fees were hiked with much of the proceeds going to new spending. The centerpiece of the new tax plan is a sweeping change to the Illinois Constitution that would switch the state from a flat tax to a graduated-rate system. Never missing an opportunity to spin the facts, the amendment is being dubbed a "Fair Tax." And while the first implementation would only raise taxes on high earners, the real tricky part is this: only the switch from the old system to the new system is being proposed for voters' approval.

The rates are being kept off the ballot to make it easier in the future to hike them. And according to these politicians' own reports, the future threshold for new hikes must be lowered to pay for their proposed spending. The new rate hikes are only a down payment.

Even without easy-to-accomplish future rate changes, if approved, this so-called Fair Tax would result in those of us in Chicago having the highest sales tax, the second-highest property taxes and the third-highest income tax on employers in the nation. Is that a good formula for encouraging job growth in Illinois?

If you agree with me that the Fair Tax is a recipe for disaster, let your members of the Illinois General Assembly know how you feel when it comes time to vote next year.

William Hickey

Bedford Park