Another tax hike not the answer
A few weeks ago it was the Stroger machine digging into the working family's pocket. Now it is our elected legislators in Springfield. Instead of being more fiscally responsible and tightening the state budget and reducing waste, the elected men and women in Springfield are ramming Senate Bill 2288 down our throats. This bill is in its second reading in the senate.
Senate Bill 2288 has many of the same ugly characteristics of the tax swap and House Bill 750 married with the false promises of reducing our property taxes and improving the funding for public education. We are all to believe, suddenly, Springfield and our governor are going to become miraculously more proficient in collecting and distributing our tax dollars, giving up all the backroom shady deals and pork-barrel spending that ultimately hinders the progress of education, businesses and families here in Illinois?
Reading about the Rezko trial places doubt on the ability of our state government to do anything ethical, let alone spend our tax dollars wisely.
Senate Bill 2288 promises to increase our state income tax 67 percent, the largest increase ever, and increase the corporate income tax rate nearly twofold (4.8 percent-8 percent). The remaining businesses in Cook County, our important tax base (along with our property taxes) for funding our schools will be wiped out; leaving the harsh and bitter business climate of Illinois to greener and more fertile pastures, overseas and in bordering states. This bill makes the nearly empty promise that monies collected are going to be spent on education, when truthfully only a small fraction (7.5 percent) of the $8 billion collected will go to our schools.
Be watchful, stay informed and most importantly, contact your legislator and ask them to vote against this Senate Bill 2288 and House Bill 750. Don't sit back and watch as the politicians pick your pocket again.
To find your legislators by ZIP code, go to Congress.org. Write them. Make your voices heard. Let's not wait until we have Stroger, Springfield and Uncle Sam deeper in our pockets. What will be left for you and your family?
Lisa Cadwallader Neal
Rolling Meadows