SCHAUMBURG – The Technology & Manufacturing Association (TMA) responded to the governor's budget address with a comment from their president, former state Senator Steve Rauschenberger:
"We heard the governor loud and clear during his State of the State Address—he wasn’t making a plea for unity or a promise of hope for struggling businesses. Instead, the words he spoke today echo his intentions to continue hurting manufacturers who are trying desperately to recover from the pandemic.
"The day after voters overwhelmingly rejected his progressive tax in November, the governor responded by threatening the business community for leading the charge against his prized tax hike. Today, he followed through on that threat by proposing a nearly $1 billion tax hike on our small businesses—taking money from our job creators and placing it in the hands of Springfield politicians so they can continue their insatiable spending habits," Rauschenberger said.
"This massive tax hike will hurt TMA members as they fight to compete regionally, nationally, and globally, especially eliminating the manufacturing and equipment exemption and the research and development tax credit. Manufacturers can’t afford greater strains imposed by our own government if we’re going to recover from the pandemic’s economic hit.
"We urge the governor to stop championing policies that will put Illinoisans on the unemployment lines and force our job creators and innovators to leave our state to survive.”
