Lack of support for state tax hike

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois Senate President John Cullerton said Thursday the votes currently don't exist to approve Gov. Pat Quinn's income tax increase that would help balance a multibillion-dollar state budget deficit.

"Oh, I don't think so at all," Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, told reporters. "The governor's got to start working on that, start lobbying members of the General Assembly. It's his proposal."

Quinn proposed increasing the personal income tax to 4.5 percent from 3 percent to come up with billions of added dollars to balance spending. In a separate session with reporters, Quinn defended his plan as the only one out there and said he doesn't relish the role he's been given following the impeachment and ouster of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

"It's no fun to have to be the cleanup man here, but I didn't create this, I inherited it. But we're going to get the job done for the public in terms of having a balanced budget," Quinn said.

Their comments come as lawmakers and the governor enter the final stretch of the General Assembly's spring session scheduled for adjournment at the end of May. Closed-door meetings among legislative leaders, budget negotiators and agency directors are expected to pick up in intensity next week as they seek agreement on how to wipe away a budget deficit that's estimated at nearly $12.4 billion over three years.

Cullerton said lawmakers have asked Quinn to make sure his agency directors cooperate, unlike past years under Blagojevich where they'd been antagonistic and withheld crucial information.

"So the good news is that we are definitely working together," said Cullerton. "The bad news is that we have a true economic crisis in that we have a had such a reduction in our income to the state through sales taxes and income taxes that we have a massive budget deficit."

Meanwhile Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno of Lemont reiterated her view that it's too soon to be talking taxes and lawmakers need to first focus on financing billions worth of road, bridge and school projects that'll spawn jobs across the state.

Only after that's approved and a full review of what programs can be cut or run more efficiently has been conducted should talks turn to how much additional money the state needs, if any, to balance spending, Radogno said in a meeting with reporters in her Capitol office.

She said the state may not need an additional 1.5 percentage point, 1 percentage point "or any income tax increase at all."

She was skeptical whether everything could be pieced together before the end of May.

"It took us six years to get into this predicament," Radogno said. "And so to say we're going to get out of it in six weeks is probably not 100 percent realistic."