Full Text of HR0153 101st General Assembly
HR0153 101ST 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, and renowned tourist destinations and is | 5 | | a 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, but, unfortunately, we | 10 | | find ourselves at a true crossroads; decades 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, Illinois has to move towards a future that seeks | 15 | | and expects to be competitive in all sectors; that is what | 16 | | every State across America is doing in order to embolden their | 17 | | residents and, furthermore, keep and attract the best and | 18 | | brightest employees and employers; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, With this reality in mind, Illinois lawmakers, now | 20 | | more than ever, must act in order to ensure that the best days | 21 | | for Illinoisans are ahead of us; the time of kicking the | 22 | | proverbial can down the road is over, and the time of inaction |
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| 1 | | has passed and is no longer a convenient option; Illinois must | 2 | | unequivocally reinforce the notion not only to every resident | 3 | | but to any person that may wish to come to the Prairie State | 4 | | that Illinois is truly forward-looking; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Currently, there is no greater threat to | 6 | | Illinoisans than that of continuing down our current | 7 | | trajectory; through years of laxity, unchecked spending, and | 8 | | ever-growing means of over-taxation, Illinois residents are | 9 | | being subjected to incredible pressures to leave their homes | 10 | | and relocate elsewhere; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Illinois has among some of the highest tax burdens | 12 | | of any state not only in the Midwest but in the country; | 13 | | Illinois has one of the highest average property tax burdens in | 14 | | the United States; Illinois residents are charged one of the | 15 | | highest average combined State and local sales taxes; if this | 16 | | were not enough, Illinois has estate, corporate franchise, and | 17 | | numerous other State and local taxes that make taxpayers | 18 | | reasonably question what Springfield is doing right; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, To continue on this senseless path of | 20 | | overburdening, debilitating propositions of increased taxation | 21 | | and reckless spending is simply unconscionable, a path which | 22 | | now appears to include a new unfair tax on Illinois taxpayers; | 23 | | proponents of a graduated income tax offer that this is a |
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| 1 | | "fair" treatment of taxpayers, yet this is far from the truth; | 2 | | and | 3 | | WHEREAS, Studies have shown that states with graduated | 4 | | income taxes impose an increased burden on the middle-class; | 5 | | instead of creating fairness, this venture squeezes the tax | 6 | | base; and | 7 | | WHEREAS, A graduated income tax in Illinois would only | 8 | | create added burdens and dissuade economic prosperity, two | 9 | | unintended consequences that proponents of enacting such a tax | 10 | | system fail to mention; 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 and small businesses that | 16 | | make up the majority of the tax base; there is nothing fair in | 17 | | making average Illinoisans pay for the shortcomings of a | 18 | | legislature that has created a tax-and-spend paradigm that is | 19 | | unsustainable; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, Illinois is home to approximately 1.2 million | 21 | | small businesses, which, in turn, employ 2.5 million persons; | 22 | | small businesses, often structured as pass-through entities, |
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| 1 | | will inevitably be further targets of this so-called | 2 | | progressive tax, becoming yet another group that proponents | 3 | | have failed to consider in their purported call for fairness; | 4 | | for these small businesses and the millions of workers they | 5 | | employ, there can be no greater disincentive to continue | 6 | | operating in Illinois than enacting yet another anti-business | 7 | | measure; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, During the 2018 campaign cycle, blanket, | 9 | | unsubstantiated promises were made to Illinoisans across this | 10 | | State; assurances were offered from ardent proponents that this | 11 | | so-called progressive move would lead to tax savings, without | 12 | | once providing substantive proposals; however, the campaign | 13 | | speeches are over; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, It is not enough to propose living in a | 15 | | make-believe reality where promises can be made to spend the | 16 | | peoples' money with no consideration given to the very real | 17 | | consequences that will inevitably come back to haunt us; the | 18 | | unbridled desire for revenue has, without fail, forced | 19 | | Illinoisans across the State to pay for the reckless spending | 20 | | plans of those in power; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, We must vociferously fight against tax-and-spend | 22 | | policies of the past; this General Assembly presents an | 23 | | opportunity to work collaboratively and on a bipartisan basis |
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| 1 | | to (i) balance the budget, (ii) make sure government services | 2 | | are efficient and effective, and (iii) prevent any new and | 3 | | unnecessary taxes; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, A move by the General Assembly to amend the | 5 | | constitution to impose a graduated income tax would mean | 6 | | turning our backs on the residents of this State and the spirit | 7 | | of bipartisanship; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Today, it is an almost preconceived maxim in | 9 | | Illinois that the need for new revenue and the wanton lack of | 10 | | checks on spending will always result in higher and new taxes | 11 | | for everyone; the time has come to end this unfortunate and | 12 | | vicious cycle; therefore, be it
| 13 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 14 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 15 | | we stand united in opposition to any measure that would allow | 16 | | the creation of a graduated income tax on Illinois residents; | 17 | | and be it further
| 18 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 19 | | delivered to each member of the Illinois General Assembly and | 20 | | the Office of the Governor as a testament to our unwavering | 21 | | commitment to improving the day-to-day lives of families across | 22 | | this great State.
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