Would the Springfield Democrats and teacher unions still be talking about raising the income tax 50%?
(Almost forgot, the Illinois Education Association–90,000 teachers strong–want a “revenue increase,” not a tax hike.)
Of course they would.
They’re Democrats.
Really? You’re going to go there after Republican DuPage County officials BEGGED for and got a sales tax increase last year? When will you learn that raising taxes is an INCUMBENT thing, not a political party thing?
Agree with “bobfordupage.org”. Trying to make this a partisan thing is pointlessly antagonistic. Stroger did a remarkably stupid thing here that brings his financial management skills into question. But I’d say it’s not because he’s a Dem– it’s because he’s a human being with power. People all too frequently get away with whatever they can, and people in power seem to do it more frequently. End of story.
Your question could be asked in a more productive way, namely: how much of the state’s budget shortfall could be made up by giving the Department of Revenue (and the IRS at the federal level) the resources it needs to collect all the taxes that are owed? The answer is almost certainly pretty substantial.