Full Text of HR0975 100th General Assembly
HR0975 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois is the 6th most populous | 3 | | state in the country; it is home to world-class
cities, | 4 | | enriched communities, renowned tourist destinations, and is a | 5 | | leader in many areas including
transportation, technology, | 6 | | finance, manufacturing, agriculture, and, most importantly, | 7 | | access to an
unrivaled labor force; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, There are many positive aspects of this State that | 9 | | should be applauded and highlighted,
unfortunately, we find | 10 | | ourselves at a true crossroads; years of fiscal | 11 | | irresponsibility and political
malfeasance have resulted in an | 12 | | undesirable state of affairs that has plagued and will continue | 13 | | to loom over
the Land of Lincoln; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, Based on 2015 American Community Survey (ACS) data | 15 | | collected by the U.S. Census
Bureau, Illinois experienced a | 16 | | 3.7% increase when comparing the median household income | 17 | | reported in
the 2014 ACS ($57,478) and the 2015 ACS ($59,588); | 18 | | the 3.7% increase was just under the U.S. average
of 3.8%; | 19 | | moreover, the states of Missouri and Wisconsin witnessed more | 20 | | substantial increases; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Illinois has to move towards a future that seeks | 22 | | and expects to be competitive in all
sectors; that is what |
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| 1 | | every State across America is doing in order to embolden their | 2 | | residents and,
furthermore, attract the best and brightest | 3 | | employees and employers; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, It is with this reality in mind that Illinois | 5 | | lawmakers now more than ever must act in order to
ensure that | 6 | | the best days for Illinoisans are ahead of us; the time of | 7 | | kicking the can down the road and
blatant inaction and | 8 | | disregard is over; Illinois must unequivocally reinforce the | 9 | | notion, not only to every
resident but to any person that may | 10 | | wish to come to the Prairie State, that Illinois is truly | 11 | | forward-looking; and | 12 | | WHEREAS, There is no greater threat to Illinoisans | 13 | | currently than that of continuing down the trajectory
that we | 14 | | are on today; through years of laxity, unchecked spending, and | 15 | | ever-growing means of overtaxation,
Illinois residents are | 16 | | being subjected to incredible pressures to leave their homes | 17 | | and relocate
elsewhere; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Illinois has among some of the highest tax burdens | 19 | | of any state not only in the Midwest, but
in the country; | 20 | | Illinois has one of the highest average property tax burdens in | 21 | | the United States; Illinois residents are charged one of the | 22 | | highest average combined State and local sales taxes;
if this | 23 | | were not enough, Illinois has estate, corporate franchise, and |
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| 1 | | numerous other State and local
taxes that make taxpayers | 2 | | reasonably question what Springfield is doing right; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, The Tax Foundation's State Business Tax Climate | 4 | | Index for 2018 ranked Illinois 29th on its
yearly report that | 5 | | compares the states' tax systems; comparatively, Indiana was | 6 | | ranked 9th, Michigan was
ranked 12th, and Missouri came in at | 7 | | 16th most favorable; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Things must change for the better through fiscally | 9 | | responsible and sustainable initiatives that
foster economic | 10 | | growth and cease to be an over-encumbrance on Illinois | 11 | | taxpayers; this is why proposals
such as those calling for a | 12 | | graduated income tax to be adopted in this State must be denied | 13 | | outright; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, The Federation of Tax Administrators found in data | 15 | | compiled for their 2015 state and local
revenues comparison | 16 | | that, per capita, the average taxpayer paid a total of $5,751 | 17 | | in state and local
taxes, the 12th highest in the country; when | 18 | | comparing this amount to the percentage of an average
| 19 | | taxpayer's income (11.7%), Illinois came in 8th highest in the | 20 | | country; comparatively, not one of our
neighbor states (i.e., | 21 | | Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, or Missouri) landed in the | 22 | | top 15; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, To continue on this senseless path of | 2 | | overburdening and debilitating propositions of
increased | 3 | | taxation and reckless spending is simply unconscionable; | 4 | | proponents of a graduated income tax
offer that this is a | 5 | | "fair" treatment of taxpayers, yet this is far from the truth; | 6 | | and | 7 | | WHEREAS, Studies have shown that states with graduated | 8 | | income taxes impose an
increased burden on the middle-class; | 9 | | this venture, instead of creating fairness, exasperates the tax | 10 | | base; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, States that impose graduated income tax rates, | 12 | | which vary in application but
number 33 in all, present a | 13 | | troublesome case for their residents, and would, undoubtedly, | 14 | | present
an equally problematic case here in Illinois; looking | 15 | | at California, for example, which has one of
the most so-called | 16 | | progressive income tax bracket systems, with a base rate of 1% | 17 | | and a top
marginal rate of 13.3%, an Illinois taxpayer that is | 18 | | earning a median household income of
approximately $59,000 | 19 | | would be subject to a 9.3% income tax rate under the Golden | 20 | | State's
model - nearly doubling the current Illinois tax; using | 21 | | the New York tax structure, the Illinois
taxpayer would be | 22 | | subject to a 6.33% state tax rate; using the New Jersey model, | 23 | | that same
Illinois taxpayer would be subjected to a 5.525% | 24 | | income tax rate; and |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Graduated income taxes only create added burdens | 2 | | and dissuade economic prosperity, two
unintended consequences | 3 | | that proponents of enacting such a tax system fail to mention; | 4 | | organizations
including the Civic Federation and Taxpayers' | 5 | | Federation of Illinois have provided detailed analyses of
| 6 | | hypothetical scenarios where Illinois would impose such a tax; | 7 | | these figures might please proponents that
only focus on | 8 | | increasing revenues, but it must be noted that there will be a | 9 | | cost to such a proposal that one
group, Illinois families, will | 10 | | have to pay for; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, National organizations, such as the Hoover | 12 | | Institution, have outlined the gross inadequacies
of the | 13 | | graduated income tax system; while it may appear to provide | 14 | | equity, the so-called progressive
income tax punishes | 15 | | hard-working, middle-class families, as they make up the | 16 | | majority of the tax base;
there is nothing fair in making | 17 | | average Illinoisans pay for the shortcomings of a legislature | 18 | | that has
created a tax and spend paradigm that is | 19 | | unsustainable; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, Proposals calling for a graduated income tax | 21 | | introduced in recent years in the legislature
have failed to | 22 | | even begin the discussion because legislators and proponents | 23 | | alike realize that such an
initiative would lead to irreparable |
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| 1 | | damage that would only serve to further impair the economic
| 2 | | outlook of Illinois; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, A move to amend the constitution to allow for such | 4 | | a repugnant affront to Illinois families
would be an act of | 5 | | utter insult to Illinois taxpayers and a dereliction of the | 6 | | duty owed to taxpayers by
members of the legislative branch of | 7 | | government, a body that is supposed to improve the general | 8 | | welfare
and protect the best interests of all Illinoisans; | 9 | | nothing about creating an unfair, unequal, and avaricious
tax | 10 | | system helps the General Assembly accomplish these ends; | 11 | | therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 13 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 14 | | stand united in opposition to any measure that would allow the | 15 | | creation of a graduated income tax on Illinois residents; and | 16 | | be it further
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 18 | | delivered to each member of the Illinois General
Assembly and | 19 | | the Office of the Governor as a testament to our unwavering | 20 | | commitment to improving the
day-to-day lives of families across | 21 | | this great State.
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