By Blake Haas

BLOOMINGTON – Heading into election day, the Illinois Farm Bureau continues to campaign for a “no” vote on the income tax hike amendment.

Rich Guebert, President of the Illinois Farm Bureau, told WJBC’s Marc Strauss that with COVID cases on the rise and business shuttering, now is not the right time to raise taxes.

“This proposal, or this constitutional amendment, provides an opportunity for the general assembly, in particular, to change any tax rate at any tax schedule across the board at their pleasure. Our members feel that that is not appropriate. The flat tax that we have today is fairer across the board and holds all the legislators accountable if and when they change.”

Gov. Pritzker says a “yes” vote would enact legislation for a graduated income tax that would increase higher tax rates on higher-earning individuals or businesses.

However, Guebert says the current flat tax rate is fair across the board.

“The progressive tax, as presented, provides an opportunity for the tax rate to be changed on those making $200,000 to $250,000 per year. That is a very small number of the Illinois voters or taxpayers in the state. As we look around to our neighbors around us that have implemented this progressive tax. After a few years, they realized that they could not generate the dollars or the revenue necessary to satisfy the needs of our state; that they changed the tax rate and the schedules to draw in the amount of dollars that they needed or wanted to generate in their respected state.

“This progressive tax that is on the ballot this time provides an opportunity for the general assembly to change that tax rate on whatever level-specific tax bracket that they wish to change that would have very little opposition going forward.”

So far, Gov. Pritzker has contributed $56.5 million to the Vote Yes for Fairness political committee advocating for its passage.

The amendment needs a simple majority of all ballots cast in the election to pass.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].