By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – The constitutional amendment to change Illinois’ income tax system from flat to graduated is on the ballot this fall, but Republicans want to change that.
Supermajority Democrats, led by Gov. JB Pritzker, are dug in on this, but Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) says the pandemic has changed things. And he wants to accelerate the plan to end the “stay home” orders …
“Rebuilding this economy safely is our first priority. We’ve got a whole month, if we have to, to pass a budget,” Brady said during a Zoom news conference Monday. “Probably, we’ll know more about revenues in a month.”
Nevertheless, a vote after this month takes a three-fifths majority. House Minority Leader Jim Durkin …
There’s really been no negotiations at all on the budget. We’ve got two weeks to get our work done.”
A group promoting the amendment, Vote Yes for Fairness, says the Republicans failed to keep it off the ballot and are now trying to use a global pandemic as leverage.
Backers of the amendment say only the top three percent of earners would see a tax increase. Opponents say they don’t trust the legislature to keep it that way.
Lawmakers are back Wednesday.
Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].
