To: The Illinois State House, The Illinois State Senate, and Governor J.B. Pritzker
A progressive tax rate for Illinois tax-payers
Change Illinois' current flat-tax rate of 5% to a progressive (marginal) rate where the wealthy will pay more.
Why is this important?
This petition is being formed to change Illinois' current flat-tax rate of 5% to a progressive rate that will increase as an individual's income increases (at a marginal rate, like our federal taxes).
In fact, Illinois has maintained a flat-tax rate at least as far back as 1969 when it was 2.5%. It has remained approximately this rate since that time until 2011, when it was raised from 3% to the current rate of 5%.
How does this affect us as Illinois citizens? Our state is fast-approaching a crisis position where it may go bankrupt. Pension-funding is being blamed, but this is money that was never properly allocated to the pension funds.
So, now the workers who rightly earned this money might not ever see it or only get a fraction thereof.
Why not make the wealthy pay more? They alone have profited over the last four decades from increases in productivity and efficiency gained in the workplace. The poor and working-class remain poor or unable to maintain a decent standard of living.
The wealthy can afford to pay more and should. This is their way of contributing to an economy that afforded them the ability to gain these riches in the first place.
In fact, Illinois has maintained a flat-tax rate at least as far back as 1969 when it was 2.5%. It has remained approximately this rate since that time until 2011, when it was raised from 3% to the current rate of 5%.
How does this affect us as Illinois citizens? Our state is fast-approaching a crisis position where it may go bankrupt. Pension-funding is being blamed, but this is money that was never properly allocated to the pension funds.
So, now the workers who rightly earned this money might not ever see it or only get a fraction thereof.
Why not make the wealthy pay more? They alone have profited over the last four decades from increases in productivity and efficiency gained in the workplace. The poor and working-class remain poor or unable to maintain a decent standard of living.
The wealthy can afford to pay more and should. This is their way of contributing to an economy that afforded them the ability to gain these riches in the first place.