Rock Island Today

State Sen. Neil Anderson (R-Moline) argues a new Kiplinger report calling attention to the state’s rising tax rates tells you everything you need to know about the negative effect Democrats have had on the state’s direction.

“Illinois ranked as one of the 'least' tax-friendly states to middle-class families,” Anderson posted on Facebook. “The majority party in charge is crippling our workers and families.”

With the state’s flat income tax rate at 4.95%, Kiplinger adds the state’s property taxes are also the second highest in the country on average, and the state’s sales taxes are also among the steepest with the Tax Foundation placing the average combined rate at 8.83%.

“We need a larger tax base, not a larger tax rate,” Anderson said in response to a comment on his post. “Only way is to cut taxes and regulations to attract people and businesses. Businesses and business growth means more jobs and more jobs mean more revenue.”

Anderson recently announced he plans to seek a third term in a campaign that promises to bring new experiences.

The lawmaker will be running in a completely newly-formed district after the state's Democratic lawmakers redrew district lines earlier this year.

"It's a completely new district; it's a new challenge,” he told Rock Island Today. “I'll go from representing two counties geographically to 16. I grew up in the rural Quad-Cities. The new district is so big because it's based on population and it's a very rural district. I think I have a lot to bring to the table having grown up out in the country and on a farm."

Anderson has also been a critic of Gov. J.B. Pritzker and what he sees as his attempt to rule the state with an iron hand.

"Getting the state back on its feet should not be done by rule or by fiat," he said, adding that reforms to the criminal justice system figures to be a major part of his platform. He argues the current system far too often seems to favor criminals.

“I’m tired of hearing that we need to be mindful of the criminal,” he said in a video posted to YouTube. “We need to start being mindful of the victims and our law enforcement. Recidivism is at an all-time high and that’s something we can control.”