Rock Island Today

Jeffery Orton argues there’s no basis for any politician to be pushing for any tax increase in Illinois.

“No matter what you stand for politically, there’s no reason taxes should have to be raised in this state,” Orton told the Rock Island Today. “There’s already more than enough money flowing through Springfield.”

And yet, a new Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) report pegs the bill for new taxes needed to fund some of the spending programs and revenue generating suggestions put forth and backed by Democratic gubernatorial candidate  J.B. Pritzker somewhere in the neighborhood of $18 billion.

By IPI estimates, that could increase tax rates on a family with a household income just over $79,000 by up to $3,500. At a time when the state could be shedding as many as 132,000 jobs and up to $31.3 billion in economic activity, the current income tax rate could also more than double from 4.95 to 9.95 percent.

“The government in Springfield is out of control when it comes to accruing and dealing with debt,” said Orton, who is running for re-election to the Henry County Board. “I’ve never been a (House Speaker) Mike Madigan fan and feel he is responsible for a lot of the problems we’re now facing. It’s a serious, serious situation in Springfield and no matter who’s in charge we’ve got to do a lot of belt-tightening.”

A strong proponent of responsible government and fiscal responsibility, Orton is on record in ascertaining that major change in leadership is needed to turn things around in Springfield.

At least part of Pritzker’s plan centers on enacting a progressive tax, for which he has offered few details in terms of how much revenue he may be seeking to raise or what tax rates might be in place for each income level.