GENEVA, IL – If the governor and the heads of the GOP House and Senate caucuses are softened up and ready to Illinois taxpayers under the bus with another income tax hike, there's one state rep that's determined to resist the plan: state Rep. David McSweeney (R-South Barrington):
"Raising taxes will kill jobs and hurt families. Any Illinois Republican who supports a tax increase is a tax collector for government bureaucrats and the Cellini family's shady warehouse lease," McSweeney said in a statement Wednesday. "We need to stop the madness and cut spending, not raise taxes."
McSweeney's comments were in response to a story in the Kane County Chronicle, wherein a fellow Republican – State Rep. Steve Andersson of Geneva – pushed for a tax hike during an emergency town hall in his district.
In the Kane County Chronicle story, Andersson supports raising the personal income tax rate to 4.95 percent and the corporate tax rate to 7 percent, along with new taxes on services such as landscaping and barbering. Andersson told his constituents the tax hike "would help shore up the state’s need for revenue to pay its bills, its pensions and support its programs."
Andersson's public statements are notable, as GOP House Leader Jim Durkin whisked the second term lawmaker into House GOP leadership, where Andersson is now GOP floor leader.
After May 31st, Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan will need a few Republican votes to meet the required post-session super-majority to pass a budget into effect. Without an agreed up budget, Illinois could enter its three consecutive year with no state budget – only paying budget items that are ordered by the courts to be paid.
Andersson told the town hall audience he disagrees with those that say no budget is better than a bad budget.
"Our cash flow would be so limited, that we may default on our debt. Our bonds won't get paid. Our state employees would not get paid," he said.
It's all about getting Governor Rauner and Speaker Madigan to compromise, Andersson said.
Rumors are the governor may be calling the General Assembly back into session next week to vote on a compromise before the new fiscal year starting July 1st.
