Just Awful!! 9:45 PM Saturday night Illinois Democrats just dumped their budget off to Republicans…on paper….3600+ pages.

🤦‍♂️ what a mess !!!

Not a document…not a PDF, but on paper. Republicans in the IL House and Senate have to read it overnight and analyze all the tax increases and find out how much more Illinois taxpayers will be on the hook for.. Democrats are poised to pass the budget by 11:59pm Sunday night!

It’s official. The #Bears megaprojects bill has died in the Senate.

The Illinois government won’t pass it before the legislature adjourns.

This has forced lawmakers to consider a Hail Mary option to prevent the team from bolting for Indiana

Other huge takeaway on the Bears :
According to Bill Cunningham, the Bears have “REPEATEDLY” met with Chicago officials in recent months.
That is not what the Bears have publicly portrayed

Kakistocracy (pronounced kak-ist-AH-kruh-see) refers to a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens. It describes a political system characterized by extreme incompetence, corruption, and a total lack of integrity, where leaders are driven by personal gain rather than the public good. AKA Illinois.

JB pritzker’s also trying to implement a fine for moving out of Illinois, You will pay a certain amount to move out of Illinois, this is just one of his bills he will be passing on Sunday night while we’re all sleeping again,

The budget is likely to contain a buffet of tax and fee increases.

Here’s what the budget does NOT contain:

-Property tax Relief
-Suspension of the gas tax

Democrats refuse to put it on-line for the public to see. Republicans and staffers will have to dig through the budget, page by page on paper.

Illinois lawmakers recently navigated a tense, late-night scramble to pass a massive record-setting \(\approx \$56\) billion state budget by the May 31 constitutional deadline. The final days of the spring session were defined by deep partisan gridlock, multi-thousand-page spending plans dropped with only hours to review, and the usual “antics” of trying to plug budget holes. [1, 2, 3]

NOW we are into the last day of Illinois regular session and a gun ban for polling places has appeared in the election omnibus bill Amendment 3 to House Bill 1832

The primary clashes and budget actions centered around the following:

• Revenue Shortfalls & Tax Hikes: Lawmakers scrambled to close an approximately \(\$150\) million to \(\$800\) million budget deficit. To balance the books, lawmakers debated various revenue streams, ranging from tax adjustments on corporate net operating losses, table games, and electronic gambling, to controversial propositions like fees on large social media platforms. [1, 2, 3, 4]
• The Gas Tax Debate: Governor JB Pritzker’s administration and legislative Democrats largely favored keeping the scheduled inflationary gas tax increase (which pushes the rate close to 50 cents per gallon), while House Republicans fiercely pushed for a sales tax freeze on motor fuel to offer immediate relief to drivers. [1]
• Bears Stadium Incentives: Property tax-incentive legislation aimed at keeping the Chicago Bears at a renovated Soldier Field—or building a new stadium in Arlington Heights rather than moving to Indiana—turned into a last-minute legislative football. The package stalled, leaving key stadium funding mechanisms and team officials weighing their options. [1, 2]
• General Assembly Spending: Progressive Democrats pushed for more taxes on billionaires and large corporations, while Republicans decried what they called out-of-control spending and sought to reign in the bloated budget. [1, 2]

State Senator Li Arellano, Jr posted this update:

“The budget legislation (there will actually multiple bills) was filed as an amendment to HB0111. We expect another amendment tomorrow, one with more ugly details.
This is by design, to limit public input, journalism, and input from other legislators. It is also done to push rank-and-file Democrats into a corner, crank up tie pressure, and make it harder to vote no. It puts legislators’ backs against a deadline”

Alert: Starting July 1, you may no longer be able to pay at the pump when filling up with gas in Illinois.

JB Pritzker’s new credit card law will make buying gas in Illinois a major headache.
This is due to legislation passed by Democrats that will force separate transactions when using a credit or debit card.

❌ Pay at the pump for the gas, then go inside to pay the gas taxes in cash.

The New Democrat law, the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (IFPA) creates significant potential problems for consumers by threatening to disrupt everyday point-of-sale transactions.

You will not be able to swipe your credit card or debit card to pay the “sales tax“, or Illinois notorious 50 cent “per gallon“ tax on gasoline along with other purchases you use your credit or debit card for to include the sales tax portion of the transaction.

While intended to save money for retailers by banning credit and debit card “swipe” fees on the sales tax and tip portions of a bill, the law faces severe implementation hurdles.

Thanks, JB.

*** 2026 end of session cheat sheet *** dlvr.it/TSpDsH

Selected press releases (Live updates) dlvr.it/TSpCn3

The Illinois State Senate just voted to grant in-state tuition to huge numbers of students from other countries – here legally or not – as well as other states.

We currently are 45/50 in costs, which is a big reason why more than 50% of our college-bound youth choose to leave Illinois. This will only drive up costs for Illinois citizens and push more of our high school students out of Illinois – likely to a place where they will gain a career and build a family, never to return to the Land of Lincoln.

It’s far past time we get serious in Springfield about prioritizing Illinois families and Illinois youth.

💥 $900 million in surprise last minute tax hikes likely coming soon!

Illinois Democrats are meeting behind closed doors to come up with way to find $900 million more tax dollars. The additional revenue is because the Governor’s budget spending will require almost a billion more in tax revenue to pay for all the new spending outlined

‘Possible’ Tax Hikes include:

• Package delivery taxes (Amazon tax)
• Social media tax
• Exit tax (a new tax on people who leave Illinois)
• Grocery Bag tax
• Campfire/Firepit tax
• Casino tax
• Mileage tax (tax per mile on vehicles)
• Retirement Tax

All the bipartisan softball games, bipartisan dinners, bipartisan cocktail hours, are all intended to get Republicans to believe they are all part of the team in Springfield until the last few days of session when they get completely blocked out and the Democrats cram the budget down their throats with no “bipartisanship.”

Watch how many Republicans come to social media talking about how unfair it is! Then it starts all over like the movie Groundhog Day!!

Surprise! a new 25% Illinois tax on stuff you already own is being proposed by Illinois Democrats!

The brand new tax is not an income tax, but a tax many Illinoisans would have to annually pay to the state annually based on the value of your property, assets and value of your bank accounts.

It was recently announced that Illinois is looking to collect an additional $900 million in tax dollars due to an “underestimate” revenue projections by Gov Pritzker’s budget office.

[Q: Should Illinois be able to tax you annually based on what you already worked for, paid for, and own?]

Illinois Senate Bill 3376, sponsored by Democrats, would create a new tax you would pay on assets you already own and money already have. This is ‘not’ an income based tax, but a tax on what some Illinoisians already own. Never before has this type of tax been approved in Illinois.

The Illinois Revenue Alliance, comprised on Illinois progressive Democrats, is seeking to pass what they are calling a “Billionaire’s Tax”

The Bill, introduced by Sen. Karina Villa (D), is backed by the Illinois Revenue Alliance. The law proposes the “Extremely High Wealth Mark-to-Market Tax Act.” It aims to tax residents with net assets based on annual asset appreciation (gains or losses) each year. Individuals identified the legislation would be required report the value of their holdings at the beginning and end of each year, and the increase would be subject to the same rate that everyday Illinoisans already pay on their income. This would be on top of income tax already paid on their assets and bank holdings.

Democrats say this tax, for now, would be intended for individuals with assets of over $1 billion, but that threshold of taxed assets could easily be reduced to $1 million or less in subsequent years.

This new tax is expected to generate nearly 1 billion annually in new revenue for the state. Money would be directed to the General Revenue Fund in the State treasury. The City of Chicago is already circling above, like vultures, waiting for the money!

This tax is different than the Millionaires tax that was proposed last month. The Millionaires tax was based on ‘income’, this tax would not be on income, but on assets.

Illinois is a state with strong communities, hard-working families, and people who genuinely want to do what’s right. Many voters who support Democratic leadership do so because they care about fairness, opportunity, and stability. Those are good intentions—and they deserve respect.

But good intentions should also be matched with honest results.

Over the past several years, Illinois has seen a steady increase in the cost of living—through higher taxes, rising fees, and growing financial pressure on families and small businesses. Whether it’s at the gas pump, on utility bills, or through property taxes, many residents are feeling stretched thinner than ever before. At the same time, confidence in how state government manages money and priorities has been tested.

This isn’t about party labels—it’s about outcomes.
When one party holds near-total control of the governor’s office and the legislature, there are fewer internal checks and fewer competing ideas at the table. That can lead to policies that go unchallenged and burdens that grow over time without enough scrutiny.

Healthy government requires balance. It requires accountability. And it requires leaders who are willing to ask tough questions—not just follow the same path year after year.

If you’ve supported current leadership in the past, that doesn’t make you wrong—it means you made the best decision you could with the information you had. But every election is a new opportunity to reassess, to look at the direction of the state, and to decide whether it’s truly working for you, your family, and your community.

Change doesn’t have to mean abandoning your values. It can mean demanding better results, stronger accountability, and a more balanced approach to governing.

Illinois doesn’t have to stay on its current path. But it will take voters—across all parties being willing to take a fresh look and consider a different direction.

Below is a consolidated list of the key tax and fee hikes under Pritzker as of 2026, grouped by category.

This is not guaranteed to be exactly 57 items (that number comes from a specific advocacy count that includes many small fee changes and indirect cost increases), but it covers the major, clearly identifiable tax and fee increases.
Individual income and property–related taxes

• 2021 income tax rate increase: raised the flat individual income tax rate from 3.75% to 4.95% via the 2021 income tax hike referendum and implementing legislation.
• 2021 corporate income tax rate increase: raised the corporate income tax rate temporarily, then made parts of it permanent.
• 2021 net operating loss (NOL) deduction cap: placed a $5 million cap on the net operating loss deduction for businesses, reducing a key tax break.
• 2021 decoupling from federal business tax cuts: Illinois decoupled from certain federal business tax relief provisions (e.g., bonus depreciation changes), effectively raising taxes on businesses.
• Property tax increases: average property taxes in Illinois rose about 27% under Pritzker, driven by higher assessments, local levy decisions, and state policy pressures (e.g., pension funding changes).

Sales, excise, and consumer taxes

• Gas tax increase: enacted a significant increase in the state motor fuel (gas) tax.
• 2025–2026 tobacco and vaping tax increase: higher taxes on cigarettes, cigars, and vaping products.
• Telecom tax increase: raised the state telecommunications tax from 7% to 8.65%.
• Sports betting tax: created a new tax on sports betting revenue.
• Hotel/motel tax expansions: extended hotel operator’s tax treatment to more short-term rental arrangements (e.g., certain Airbnb/VRBO-type rentals).
• Grocery tax: Illinois had a reduced grocery tax rate that was scheduled to phase out; while not always framed as a “hike,” its expiring reduction effectively raises taxes compared to the reduced rate.

Business and industry taxes

• $750 million tax increase package (2024): signed a roughly $750 million tax increase package that included higher taxes on certain businesses and local government taxing authority expansions.
• Business tax increases to fund migrant crisis: in 2024, Pritzker proposed and pursued about $1 billion in tax increases to cover migrant-related expenses, including business and potentially consumer-facing taxes.
• Additional business tax increases included in the FY26 budget: more than $700 million in new taxes overall, including business-related measures.
• Increased local government taxing authority: gave local governments more ability to raise taxes, indirectly increasing tax burdens statewide.

Fees and fee increases

• Vehicle registration and driver’s license fee increases: various increases in vehicle registration fees, driver’s license fees, and related motor vehicle fees under Pritzker.
• Professional and business license fee increases: fees for many professional licenses (e.g., contractors, real estate, health professionals) were raised.
• Environmental and utility fees: increases in fees related to environmental programs, waste management, and utility regulation.
• Court and administrative fees: various court filing fees, administrative fees, and regulatory fees were increased.
• Higher education fee increases: public universities in Illinois raised tuition and fees under state policy pressures during Pritzker’s tenure (though these are tuition/fees rather than state taxes).
• Gaming and gambling fees: expanded gambling (casinos, online gaming, sports betting) brought new fees and taxes on operators and players.
  One-time and structural revenue measures that function like tax hikes
• Fund sweeps: the FY26 budget relied on sweeping money from 57 different funds, effectively using one-time revenue shifts that can lead to future tax pressure.
• Delayed payments and transfers: delayed payments to local governments and other entities to improve the state’s cash flow, which can lead to higher future taxes or fees.Two draft budgets and one BIMP are out in Illinois. It is the end of session day. Looks like they are going home today. Not looking great for the Hawthorne bailout and a Decatur racino. But anything can happen when the legislature is in town. Anything.