“The fact that our Constitution currently calls for a flat tax has given protection to the middle class,” said Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady (R-Bloomington). “To solve our problems, we don’t need to raise tax rates; what we need to do is create jobs. To create jobs, we need to keep people in this state.”

“I’d like to put to rest the canard that the flat tax somehow protects the middle class; it does exactly the opposite. It subjects the middle class to the same tax treatment as the highest earners in the state,” said State Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park), sponsor of the constitutional amendment. “If you’re saying the flat tax is a good idea, you are protecting the uber-rich; not the middle class.”

At a House Republican news conference a few hours before the Senate votes, State Rep. Margo McDermed (R-Mokena) said, “We told you so!” Republicans note the top rate — for joint filers earning $1 million and individuals earning $750,000 — is four one-hundredths of a percentage point higher than the governor’s first suggestion. Also, that top rate, 7.99 percent, applies to the entire income for those taxpayers, not just the portion above that threshold. And the bracket of $750,000 is lower for single filers than it was previously.