Results tagged “incometaxhike”

When asked if he thought Republicans would have a change of heart and support an income tax increase this fall, Gov. Pat Quinn replied, "If some of our Republican friends hit their head in the tub and come to Springfield and say, 'Hey, let's raise the revenue necessary to pay for government,' we'll shake their hands and say, 'Hallelujeh, and let's get going.' I think that that's not a likely scenario." Quinn is pushing for a vote on the tax to take place after February's primary election. Meanwhile, Quinn is off to join the Chicago 2016 delegation in Copenhagen in their final push for the bid.

Fox 32 is reporting that House Minority Leader Tom Cross has said a tentative agreement has been reached on the state budget, which has been in limbo for weeks after the last legislative session ended without a new budget in place. There's no income tax increase in the budget, though State Senate President John Cullerton said that an increase of some kind was inevitable in the future. Gov. Quinn backed off his push for an income tax hike last week in a bid to increase the chances of a speedy resolution.

House Democrats passed a 50 percent income tax hike for the next two years today, but final approval is still questionable as the General Assembly moves one day closer to adjourning.The proposal was a move to get lawmakers who didn't approve of Quinn's permanent hike on board. Although Quinn has previously said he wouldn't stand for a permanent hike, he "backed off that position today," the Chicago Tribune reports. Republicans say they "aren't ready" to vote for a tax hike, noting it also includes increasing the cigarette tax and decreasing public pension plan payments.

Talking about the budget recently, Governor Quinn dropped the word "doomsday," rattling the nerves of residents who have had enough "doomsday" budget talk (thankyouverymuch, CTA). The threat came over the possibility the state legislature wouldn't approve Quinn's desired income tax hike. According to WBEZ, Quinn said, "We are going to let people know what the consequences are if we don't do this plan. A doomsday budget is very, very dangerous for our state. It will harm our state. It will harm people, very vulnerable people in our state. And I don't want to ever have a doomsday budget."