As of December 11, 2020, Governor J.B. Pritzker’s administration extended a version of the statewide ban on residential evictions until January 9, 2021. This reprieve is welcomed by certain Illinois renters facing severe financial shortfalls due to the economic displacements caused by Covid. Landlords might view the modified extension as a limited reprieve, also, as it places certain wealthier tenants outside of its protective reach. In contrast, the eviction moratoriums from March through October applied to all tenants, regardless of financial circumstance. This compromise is intended to recognize the financial impact on landlords, who often depend on rent collections to pay their own obligations to creditors.
The November eviction moratorium provided protection only to those tenants or residents that are “Covered Persons.” A “Covered Person” is one who meets all four of the following metrics: “(1) the individual either (i) expects to earn no more than $99,000 in annual income for Calendar Year 2020 (or no more than $198,000 if filing a joint tax return), (ii) was not required to report any income in 2019 to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or (iii) received an Economic Impact Payment pursuant to Section 2001 of the CARES Act;” and is (2) “unable to make a full rent or housing payment due to a COVID-19 related hardship including, but not limited to, substantial loss of income, loss of compensable hours of work or wages, or an increase in out-of-pocket expenses directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic;” and (3) “the individual is using best efforts to make timely partial payments that are as close to the full payment as the individual’s circumstances may permit, taking into account other Non-Discretionary Expenses;” and (4) eviction would likely render the individual homeless . . .”.
Landlords must give tenants an opportunity to demonstrate that they meet this four-part test. Specifically, landlords must provide a Declaration form to the resident or tenant at least five days prior to the notice of termination of tenancy. If the tenant can establish that he/she/they meet all four requirements of the Covered Person test, the eviction case will fail unless the “person poses a direct threat to the health and safety of other tenants or an immediate and severe risk to property.”
Some landlords will be pleased to learn that they may initiate new eviction cases against those who are not Covered Persons. But landlords, take note: the November order (as incorporated by the December order) directs law enforcement to delay enforcement of valid eviction orders “unless the tenant, lessee, sub-lessee, or resident of the residential property has been found to pose a direct threat to the health and safety of other tenants or an immediate and severe risk to property.” As such, a valid eviction order is of limited utility in the short term.
The executive orders explain that evictions necessitate in-person interactions between residents, law enforcement, movers, and the family or friends that take the evicted renters into their homes. The continued pause on residential evictions is intended to avoid those in-person interactions, and, in doing so, slow the spread of the virus. Covid case counts, not surprisingly, have risen in the colder months as more Chicago and Illinois residents stay indoors. As these trends coincide with the rescheduled termination of the CDC’s eviction ban in late January of 2021, public health advocates are strongly in support of Governor Pritzker’s renewal of the modified eviction ban to help reduce the spread of Coronavirus in Illinois communities.
When Will Evictions Resume in Illinois?
The Illinois eviction moratorium prohibits the filing of residential eviction actions and the enforcement of residential evictions until January 9, 2021. Previous executive orders related to the filing of evictions in Illinois, such as Executive Order 2020-55, also clarified that nothing in the moratorium shall be construed to relieve renters of their obligations to make rent payments or otherwise comply with their leases.
It also clarifies that it does not extend to circumstances where “the tenant has been found to pose a direct threat to the health and safety of other tenants, an immediate and severe risk to property, or a violation of any applicable building code, health ordinance, or similar regulation.” In other words, the temporary eviction ban is designed to protect only those tenants who would be evicted due to nonpayment of rent, as opposed to other lease violations. Some landlords grumble that the eviction moratorium is encouraging renters to skip their rent payments — but nothing in the moratorium forgives a tenant’s obligation to pay the rent. It merely provides renters with stable housing until the moratorium elapses.
Governor Pritzker extended the eviction moratorium in August following Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s August 20, 2020 letter to Chief Judge Evans and the Governor’s administration urging COVID-19 relief for renters and landlords alike. Sheriff Dart noted that approximately 250,000 households in Cook County could face evictions. As the Sheriff is charged with enforcing legal eviction orders, Dart shared a concern about the likely spread of COVID-19 if evicted renters were crowded into shelters or into the homes of family and friends.
The Trump administration has also framed the eviction crisis as a likely accelerator of the spread of the novel Coronavirus. On September 1, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control issued a temporary eviction moratorium through the end of the calendar year with sweeping protections for certain renters nationwide. Unlike the CARES Act, which provided a temporary moratorium only for those properties secured by mortgages backed by the federal government (including mortgages held by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae), the CDC’s order purports to extend to all residential properties (regardless of whether they are secured by federally backed mortgages) that are occupied by renters who meet certain income thresholds, have applied for government assistance, have lost income due to the pandemic, and would be rendered homeless if evicted. Renters must sign a declaration in order to qualify for the relief. The declaration is included as “Attachment A” to the CDC’s order, and it clarifies that the tenant’s obligation to pay rent is not modified or superceded by the eviction ban. The CDC order does not apply to jurisdictions like Illinois that have in place a moratorium on residential evictions that provides the same or greater level of public-health protection than the CDC’s order — but if Governor Pritzker decides not to renew the Illinois moratorium after it elapses in mid-January, the CDC’s moratorium will provide a stopgap for qualifying Illinois renters for a few more days.
Landlord rights groups have already begun to challenge the constitutionality of the CDC’s order. The New Civil Liberties Alliance filed a motion for a preliminary judgment in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia to challenge the CDC’s eviction moratorium as an unconstitutional taking of property rights. The court heard argument on the motion on October 20, 2020.
Eviction Moratorium Chicago Protection Ordinance Provides Additional Protections to Renters
Chicago City Council approved a COVID-19 Eviction Protection Ordinance in its mid-June legislative session. This new ordinance requires that landlords extend a seven-day “cooling off” period if tenants respond to the five-day notice with a Tenant Notice and can prove unpaid rent stems from financial losses that are caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Ordinance clearly intends to prevent conditions leading to a loss of shelter, even as it protects landlords by requiring tenants to pay rent and providing exceptions to the general rule. For example, landlords may file eviction proceedings if “a tenant poses a direct threat to the health and safety of other tenants, an immediate and severe risk to property, or a violation of any applicable building code, health ordinance, or similar regulation.”
In case landlords are thinking about performing a DIY eviction, here’s the deal: don’t do it. Lockouts are illegal in Chicago apartments. Chicago’s landlord-tenant law also heavily favors tenants in cases of retaliatory conduct. Landlords may end up in legal trouble if they even hint that they’re willing to circumvent the eviction legal process and eviction moratorium. Expensive fines and legal fees await landlords who attempt to perform self-help evictions in Chicago.
I have had enough with the canned reference to “teacher bashing” and the connotation that any negative comment regarding teacher behavior is in some way “bashing”.
“Reprinted from the Blog: Parents for Progress“
The concept “teacher bashing” seems to be jargon invented by the teachers union to deflect criticism and avoid personal responsibly. Let’s be clear, teachers are one of the foremost influences on our children’s development and forming the adults they will become. From my standpoint, they need to be held highly accountable for their actions, words and the examples they are setting.
My mother was an educator and my personality, opinions and values are due, in a large part, to the teachers who I had in my youth. My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Manning taught me about tenacity which has been a huge influence on my work ethic. My 6th grade teacher Mr. Henderson taught me about literature and poetry which has formed my love for reading. My 8th grade teacher Mrs. Wagner taught me about writing and public speaking which has served me well throughout my entire life. However, my third grade teacher Mrs. Kamis taught me that, teachers can be bullies, abuse their power and destroy a kid’s desire to go to school. Mrs. Kamis also taught me that holding teachers accountable is critical to a child’s development and who they will become.
The COVID pandemic has given some teachers license to “phone in” their lessons and use technological ineptitude as an excuse to provide a less than ideal work product. It is our jobs as parents to hold these teachers accountable.
Teachers pay the teacher’s union a part of their salaries for representation. That creates an affiliation to a powerful organization that wields that power, at times, to the detriment of the students. As such, teachers should be held accountable for the action of the union that they pay dues to. Teachers have a choice to not be a union member and can op out. Organizations such as teacherfreedom.org exist to help. As long as teachers continue to choose to be affiliated with the union, they are responsible for the union actions and should be held accountable for them.
Responsibility and accountability are the fundamental components of integrity. Any effort to deflect or obscure these values should be met with fervent opposition. The generic reference to “teacher bashing” helps no 0ne, especially the teachers. All professions have good actors and bad actors. The danger arises when shining a light on bad behavior is universally met with a subjective, all encompassing club to the head. This serves as a disincentive to hold bad actors accountable and becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy that results in all teachers being painted with the same brush. The same holds true for union affiliation. Certainly there are teachers who object to the heavy handed initiatives of the union. Until these teachers stand up and speak out, they will continue to be painted with the same brush as the union whom they voluntarily pay for collective representation.
The children are watching, the children are listening, and the children are learning during this pandemic. We should be concerned what lessons they are being taught.
It’s a bright, early and sunny morning in west suburban Schiller Park.
The neighborhood surrounding St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church comes to life. Church bells ring. Parishioners step out of their cozy brick bungalows and cross the street to the church. This chilly January morning did have a certain uneasiness in the air. It wasn’t […]
What I wonder is of the 9,757 deaths, how many died OF Covid & how many died WITH Covid.
Also, of the Covid hospitalizations, I’d be curious to know if they had the seasonal flu & their test showed positive for Covid, assuming they had a test.
Would it surprise you to learn COVID-19 has killed a total of 129 people age 18 or younger? Meanwhile, 3,000 people (that’s not a rounded number) between the ages of 10 and 19 committed suicide in 2018. Another 4,240 died of accidental injuries. What emergency measures have we taken to reduce those numbers? Mandated annual psych evaluations? Raised the driving age to 21? Made it illegal for kids to handle firearms? No, no, and no. Yet kids can’t play sports, sing in choir, or go to school.
526,509 individuals 65 and over died of heart disease in 2018. That dwarfs the 235,159 COVID-19 deaths among all ages. What emergency measures are we taking to ensure people don’t die of heart disease? Enforced heart healthy diets? Mandated daily exercise? Alcohol and cigarette bans? None of those. But our governor thinks it’s too dangerous to eat inside a restaurant.
I’m not suggesting we act like COVID-19 doesn’t exist. I’ve been for reasonable precautions (almost) since the very beginning. You can check that, if you’d like. But we’ve all been accepting risks far greater than COVID-19 for a long, long time. It’s time to stop the fear mongering. And it’s time to enact policy that makes sense.
Something is going on.
The numbers the state reports for counties has always been slightly off from the county health dept. But lately the numbers have been HUGE.
The Counties are much much lower. Kane was off by a over 200 cases.
DuPage Deaths were DOUBLED for the last week.
Look for yourself. JB Is FAKING NUMBERS!!!
A new single day record of tests reported. Positive rate 7.3% yesterday and Death RATE drops again!!! Just 400k positive in a state of 12.6M so 12.2 Million are negative.
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 6,943 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 36 additional deaths.
Adams County: 1 male 90s Carroll County: 1 female 80s Christian County: 1 male 50s Cook County: 1 male 40s, 1 female 50s, 1 male 50s, 1 female 70s, 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s DuPage County: 1 male 60s, 1 female 70s Fulton County: 1 male 70s Greene County: 2 females 90s LaSalle County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s Livingston County: 1 male 60s Macon County: 1 female 70s Madison County: 1 male 70s McDonough County: 1 male 60s Morgan County: 1 male 80s Peoria County: 1 female 90s Piatt County: 1 female 90s Saline County: 1 female 70s, 1 female 90s St. Clair County: 1 male 70s Tazewell County: 1 male 60s Wayne County: 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s White County: 1 male 80s Will County: 2 males 70s, 1 female 80s, 2 females 90s Winnebago County: 1 female 70s
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 402,401 cases, including 9,711 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 95,111 specimens for a total 7,637,209. As of last night, 3,092 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 673 patients were in the ICU and 288 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from October 23 – October 29 is 7.3%
So there was a phone conference today where the Illinois Department of Health and the Illinois State Police were on with many local elected officials.
Here are the main takeaways:
1) Illinois State Police will not participate in any attempts to close a business.
2) Health Department is not sure how to enforce closing a business. They are trying to figure it out.
3) Even though schools and home are the presumed main contributors to positive cases, they are going after bars and restaurants because those are the only places they can try and control.
Your livelihoods are being destroyed over this wishy washy bullshit. Please don’t fall for this anymore.
Don’t miss Oceans Pit! The little Show About Big Things! This Fri. 10/30. We have 2 Special Guests! The 1st half. Attorney at law. Roy McCampell! And The 2nd half Lead Vocalist of The AC/DC Tribute Band TNT! Jim Irwin! Both Long Time Friends! U won’t wanna miss this one Oceans Pit! Mon to Fri at Noon 😎
Gov. Pritzker is pushing another wave of business lockdowns despite the courts overturning his emergency orders.
Small businesses are hanging on by a thread and many won’t survive. What’s more, Pritzker is trying to push a progressive tax that would be a nail in the coffin of businesses that survive the pandemic.
Pritzker doesn’t have the authority to decide if a business is essential or not.
We are all essential.
Here’s a list of restaurants that will be defying Prickster & the state & city lock downs! Please support them as much as possible! Addison: Amada’s – 340 W Lake St American Tap – 701 W Lake St Bigby’s Pour House – 1700 W Lake St Briki Cae – 1453 W Lake St Granny’s Restaurant – 190 N Swift Rd La Hacienda – 1571 W Lake St La Magdalena – 321 N Addison Rd Pyramid Pizza – 236 W Lake St Shoeless Joe’s – 1480 W Lake St Venuti’s – 2251 W Lake Aurora: McBride’s North Pub & Grill – 2340 S Eola Rd Mother’s Pancake House – 2290 W Galena Pomegranate Restaurant – 55 S Commons Dr Ste 114 The Town Bar & Grill – 2681 E New York St Barrington: Shakou – barrington McGonigal’s Pub – 105 S Cook St Big Iron Horse BBQ – 205 Park Ave Bartlett: Dogfather Hot Dogs – 957 Rte 59 Batavia: Apple Villa Pancake House – 1961 W Wilson St Bensenville: Hide Away Cafe – 207 W Main st Bloomingdale: Alcentro Trattoria- 109 3rd St Bentleys Pancake House – 142 E Lake St Dinos Cafe 171 E Lake St Sporty’s – 448 W Army Trail Rd Tony Spavone’s – 266 W Lake St Bridgeview: Branding Iron – 7036 S Harlem Burbank: West 79 Sports Bar – 7107 W 79th St Carol Stream: Mapleberry Pancake House – 1276 Kuhn Rd Manhattan’s – 300 S Schmale Rd JT’s Corner Tap and Eatery – 1022 Fountain View Dr The Pub – 570 S Gary Ave Red Apple Pancake House, 424 S Schmale Rd Red Stop 1030 Fountain View Dr Rocco Vino 904 W Army Trail Rd Village Tavern – 291 S Schmale Rd Chicago ridge: Berger station Les brothers Clarendon Hills: Sakura Nami – All U Can Eat Sushi – 439 E Ogden Ave Crestwood: At The Office Sports Bar – 4901 Cal Sag Rd Brazen Head – 13602 Cicero Ave Thirsty Beaver – 5599 127th St Darien: Jam and Jelly – 7511 Lemont Rd Downer’s Grove: Bryan’s American Grille – 2009 Ogden Grand Dukes Restaurant – 980 75th St 3 Corners Grill & Tap – 7231 Lemont Rd East Dundee: Bandito Barney’s 10 N River St Elgin: Elgin Public House – 219 E Chicago St Elmhurst: Angelo’s Ristorante – 247 N York St Beerhead – 100 N York St Fitz’s Pub – 172 N Addison Ave Fitz’s Spare Keys – 119 N York St Fresh Start Cafe – 1038 S York St Primos Locos – 122 S York St 100 South Chophouse – 100 S York St Geneva: Buttermilk – 7 W State St EvenFlow Music and Spirits – 302 W State St FoxFire Restaurant – 17 W State St Glendale Heights: Fitz’s Thirsty Irishmen – 1989 Bloomingdale Rd Ki’s Steak & Seafood Restaurant – 705 North Ave Schnitzel Platz – 729 North Ave Glen Ellyn: Barone’s – 475 Pennsylvania Ave The Beer Cellar – 204 W State St Main Street Pub – 466 Main St Nobel House – 419A N. Main St North Side Sports Bar & Grill – 499 Pennsylvania Ave Lisle: Raymes Steak & Seafood – 4801 Lincoln Ave Stilin’s Pub – 2029 Ogden Ave #1977 Lombard: Avanzare Italian – 667 W Roosevelt Rd Brauer House – 1000 N Rohlwing Rd #13 Broosters – 434 22nd St Fountain Inn Cafe – 2370 Fountain Square Groundlevel 105 – 105 W St Charles Rd JT’s Porch – 665 W Roosevelt Rd Otto’s Tavern – 433 Crescent Blvd Punky’s Pub – 16 S. Park Ave Midlothian: Flannery’s Pub – 4025 147th St Jack’s Place – 3915 147th St Durbins – 14753 Cicero Ave Naperville: Angeli’s Restaurant – 1478 E Chicago Ave Balboa’s Cheesesteaks – 22 E. Chicago Ave Ste 117 Bottoms Up Bar & Grill – 1807 S Washington St Draft Picks – 523 Fairway Dr Fat Rosie’s Taco & Tequila Bar – 47 E Chicago Ave Jackson Ave Pub – 7 Jackson Ave La Sorella di Francesca – 18 W. Jefferson Ave Lucky Penny Diner – 1224 W Ogden Ave Ste G Quigley’s Irish Pub – 43 E Jefferson Up North Ale House – 1595 N Aurora New Lenox: Teardrop Cafe – 826 W Laraway Rd JBD White Horse Inn – 348 W Maple St Oak Lawn: Huck Finn – 10501 S Cicero Ave Palos Heights: Rooftop Tap – 12231 S Harlem Ave X’s & O’s Sports Bar – 6405 W 127th River Grove.. Homestretch Inn. 2222 5th ave Roselle: Brunch Café – 1500 W Lake St Italian Pizza Kitchen – 55 E Irving Park Rd St. Charles: Alley 64 – 212 W Main St La Zaza Trattoria – 5 S 1st St Salerno’s On the Fox – 320 N 2nd St Throwback Sports Bar – 1890 W. Main St Wahlburgurs – 825 S Randall Rd South Elgin: Stanley’s Restaurant & Ale House – 335 N. McLean Blvd Villa Park: Fitz’s Bull Dog – 314 St Charles Rd #2403 West Chicago: Bunker Bar & Grill – 216 Main St El Coco Loco – 205 Main St Hawthornes Backyard – 1200 W Hawthorne Westmont: Citrus Diner – 844 E Ogden Ave Harvest Pancake House & Grille – 339 W 63rd St Uncle Bub’s BBQ – 132 S Cass Ave Wheaton: Moveable Feast + Company – 112 North Hale St Seven Dwarfs – 917 E Roosevelt Rd Frnt A Willowbrook: Bernard’s Cafe – 14 63rd St Lumes Breakfast/Lunch – 900 Plainfield Rd Winfield: Caliendo’s Restaurant – 0S050 Winfield Rd Cooper’s Corner – 7W150 Roosevelt Rd Wood Dale: JB’s Bar 146 W Irving Park Rd Local Bar and Grille – 396 W Irving Park Rd Thornwood Restaurant -1051 N Woodale road U Gazdy’s – 270 W Irving Park Rd Woodridge: Jam n Jelly – 6435 Main St Nonnies Pizza – 1565 75th St 📷 📷 📷
Know the difference between Cold, Flu, & COVID-19 symptoms. If you are feeling any of the COVID-19 symptoms get tested today! https://lnkd.in/eB5M_Hz
“We in the World Health Organization do not advocate lockdowns as the primary means of control of this virus,” Dr. David Nabarro said to The Spectator’s Andrew Neil. “The only time we believe a lockdown is justified is to buy you time to reorganize, regroup, rebalance your resources, protect your health workers who are exhausted, but by and large, we’d rather not do it.”
I’ll let the words of the World Health Organization speak for themselves.
ARE COVID DECISIONS DRIVEN BY SCIENCE OR POLITICS?
Nearly 1,000 Chicago Police Officers have tested positive for COVID-19 and three with pre-existing conditions have died. Yet CPD recently sent out a directive regarding instructing CPD’s sworn members to report for work even when they know they have been exposed to the virus. You read that correctly – report for duty – no quarantine. CPD merely directs officers to monitor for symptoms and/or elevated temperature, and to wear a mask. Otherwise, carry on, business as usual. This puts potentially contagious officers in contact with the public, and of course, with their fellow officers.
This directive is reckless or ironic, or perhaps both. Reckless, because of the high level of contact CPD has with the public and each other. Ironic, because while CPD is directing exposed officers to go out and about in public, the City actively updates its unenforceable “mandatory state quarantine list.” Ironic because of absurd cancellations of and limitations on many winter high school sports. Ironic, because City Hall continues to keep its schools closed, despite the science that says students are at and cause minimal risk. Kids are the least contagious, and the research proves that isolating children from their classrooms inflicts academic, social emotional and physical damage, particularly for the low-income children who make up the vast majority of CPS’ students.
Are these decisions really being driven by science and research or are they being driven by politics?
After watching the numerous pro and con commercials for the proposed Amendment to the Illinois Constitution for the “Fair Tax Act”. The supporters of the Amendment argue that 97% of Illinois will pay the same or less taxes. The “Pro” Commercials also state at the end: ” who should pay the tax you or the billionaires?”
So all of this led to the some research by me.
How many billionaires are in Illinois?
The answer is 18 billionaires per Forbes residing in Illinois.
Yes, only 18 billionaires in the State of Illinois.
So we should all believe that the 18 billionaires will pay all of this tax?
Now the real kicker. Of those 18 billionaires 6 of them share the same last name. Ready? PRITZKER. Yes it’s true. 30% of our billionaires are in his family. Is Illinois that stupid to believe he wants to increase tax on only his family? Wake up. Do some research and vote NO on this nonsense fair tax scam.
On Nov. 3, Illinoisans will vote on whether to keep Illinois’ flat income tax structure or move the state to a new progressive income tax scheme. The flat tax structure has been in the Constitution since 1970.
Less than two weeks remain and the airwaves are being bombarded with emotionally charged ads for and against the progressive tax.
Still confused? Here are the 20 facts you should know about the progressive tax amendment.
1. What you’re voting on…
First, know that when you vote on the amendment, you are not voting on any tax rates.
The only thing you are voting on is whether or not to let lawmakers move Illinois’ income tax from a flat structure to one that allows different income levels to be taxed at different tax rates, often called a “progressive tax.”
Today, the Illinois Constitution ensures incomes are taxed at a single, flat-tax rate, regardless of how much Illinoisans make. That means everybody pays the same share of their income in taxes.
Under a progressive tax structure, some income levels can be taxed at higher tax rates than other income levels.
Voting “yes” supports the change to a progressive tax structure, and voting “no” opposes the change and keeps the flat-tax structure.
2. What you’re not voting on…
Again, you are not voting on tax rates. The proposed amendment doesn’t set any tax rates whatsoever. Instead, lawmakers set tax income rates through legislation, which can be changed at any time.
To be clear, the amendment you are voting on:
Does not set permanent tax rates in the constitution.
Does not ensure 97% of Illinoisans will pay the same or less in taxes.
Does not limit lawmakers to raising taxes only on the rich.
Does not stop lawmakers from raising taxes on lower and middle-income Illinoisans.
Does not stop lawmakers from imposing higher rates on any and all income groups.
Also note that the ballot language describing the amendment is inaccurate. The ballot states the amendment “gives the State ability to impose higher rates on those with higher income levels and lower income tax rates on those with middle- or lower-income levels.”
That is misleading. There is nothing in the amendment language to stop lawmakers from imposing the same high rates on both middle- and low-income Illinoisans. Eighteen progressive states tax middle-income residents at the same rate as the wealthy. (See Fact 14 for details.)
3. The proposed tax rates can change at any time…
Lawmakers have already passed a set of progressive tax rates and income brackets which will go into effect on January 1st, if the amendment passes. When you hear adssaying “97% of Illinoisans will pay the same or less,” that statement is referring to the rates lawmakers passed, not the amendment.
The maximum tax break any Illinoisan would receive under the new structure is just $65 (for a taxpayer with $249,999 in income). An Illinoisan with a net income of $10,000 will receive a tax break of $10.
The tax rates and breaks, however, are only introductory. The progressive tax structure allows the state to impose higher rates on any income group. And the taxes and the income brackets can be changed by the legislature at any time without taxpayer input. The introductory tax rates and the income brackets are shown below.
4. Without reforms, the proposed tax hike falls billions short of what Illinois needs…
The legislature’s introductory progressive tax rates are projected to raise an additional $3.1 billion in revenue annually, though that amount may be overly optimistic if too many of Illinois’ wealthy residents flee.
That amount is far short of what’s needed to cover the state’s deficits, let alone pay for the governor’s other spending promises. Without reforms, Illinois needs about $10 billion in additional revenues each year just to properly balance the budget.
That’s made up of a structural budget shortfall of some $3-$4 billion annually, another $1 billion yearly to begin paying down the state’s $8 billion in unpaid bills, and about $5 billion more each year to properly pay for the state’s true retirement costs.
Unless lawmakers enact major spending and pension reforms, they’ll have no choice but to eventually raise tax rates again (see Fact 5).
5. What progressive tax rates may eventually look like…
Since Illinois lawmakers refuse to pursue pension and spending reforms, they will eventually be forced to raise taxes to address the state’s $10 billion annual deficit highlighted in Fact 4.
A Wirepoints analysis of Illinois Department of Revenue tax data found that lawmakers will have to significantly raise rates on both middle- and higher-income Illinoisans to raise $10 billion annually. Tax rates on middle-income Illinoisans would jump to 9 percent, while rates on the wealthiest taxpayers would increase to more than 11 percent.
(The example below is one of many potential rate structures, but it’s a fair representation of the rates required to raise a $10 billion across middle- and higher-income taxpayers.)
6. There’s no property tax relief…
No matter what’s been advertised, the $3.1 billion raised by the introductory progressive tax rates would not provide real property tax relief to Illinois homeowners.
The tax hike’s new revenues would be immediately swallowed by the state’s budget shortfall. There’d be nothing left for the state’s other problems.
Illinois governments collect more than $32 billion in property taxes every year. To provide Illinoisans with meaningful property tax relief of just 15 percent, the state would have to increase progressive income taxes by an additional $5 billion over and above the amount already needed to cover the state’s structural deficits. That would require significantly higher tax rates on Illinois’ middle- and lower-income residents.
7. Illinois’ current flat income tax is fair…
You may have heard the current flat-tax structure is unfair because low income residents and wealthier residents pay the same tax rate. Under Illinois’ current flat income tax, everyone pays the same rate of 4.95 percent.
But focusing on the rate ignores that the wealthy pay far more in taxes under the flat-rate tax structure. Those who earn more, pay more.
Take, for example, two Illinoisans. One makes $20,000, while the other makes 100 times more, or $2,000,000. At a 4.95 percent tax rate, the lower income Illinoisan pays nearly $1,000 in taxes, ignoring exemptions and deductions. In comparison, the wealthier resident will pay about $100,000, or 100 times more.
8. Illinois’ current flat income tax, after exemptions, is effectively progressive…
What you might not have heard is that after taking into account deductions and exemptions, Illinois’ flat-tax structure is actually progressive.
Illinois’ standard exemption lowers each Illinoisans’ taxable income by $2,275. That, coupled with many other deductions allowed by law, results in lower-income Illinoisans paying a lower effective tax rate than higher-income Illinoisans.
Data from the Institute on Taxation on Economic Policy shows how “progressive” Illinois’ flat tax already is. Illinoisans with the lowest incomes effectively pay 1.5 percent of their income in taxes. In contrast, the wealthiest taxpayers pay 4.1 percent
9. Hitting the wealthy may cause more to leave…
Illinois already loses thousands of wealthy Illinoisans to other states every year. IRS data shows a net 26,000 tax filers making $200,000 or more have left Illinois since 2012 alone, depriving the state of a cumulative $60 billion in income that could have been taxed.
Frustrated by Illinois’ corruption, debts, high taxes, a struggling economy and politicians’ complete refusal to pursue reforms, you can bet many more high-income residents have one foot out the door. A 60 percent tax hike might be their final reason to leave.
10. Illinois’ political history is full of broken promises…
Illinois politicians have a long history of breaking promises to Illinoisans, especially when it comes to taxes.
Politicians promised the 2011 “temporary,” 67 percent income tax hike would fix the state’s budget and eliminate its unpaid bills. “We have some temporary tax increases that are designed to pay our bills, get Illinois back on fiscal sound footing and make sure that our state has a strong economy,” said Gov. Pat Quinn. Four years and $31 billion additional tax dollars later, Illinois’ budget remained unbalanced, its bills unpaid and its pension debts were larger than ever.
Politicians again promisedbalanced budgets and stability after they passed a permanent 32 percent income tax hike in 2017. Now they’re back again, promising the same with the progressive income tax hike.
Illinois’ spiking pension debts prove how empty those promises have been. Despite billions of dollars in tax hikes, Illinois pension debts continue to rise, putting a larger and larger burden on struggling Illinoisans.
Without real spending and pension reforms, lawmakers will have no choice but to raise taxes on those who generate two-thirds of the taxable income in Illinois: lower- and middle-income earners.
11. Taxing retirements will be a whole lot easier…
There’s been a lot of discussion whether the amendment would lead to a tax on retirement income. Today, retirement income is not taxed in Illinois, though there is nothing in state law prohibiting it. It’s simply been too unpopular for lawmakers to pass under the current flat-tax regime – taxes would have to be raised on all retirees at one flat rate.
But under a progressive tax structure, taxing retirement becomes much easier. Lawmakers can target one segment of retirees, say higher-income retirees, with a new tax. That makes it far easier to pass politically than targeting all retirees at the same time. Once lawmakers successfully tax one segment of retirees, other segments could be targeted over time.
State Treasurer Frerichs said it best recently: “One thing a progressive tax would do is make clear you can have graduated rates when you are taxing retirement income.” Frerichs is correct. Every single state with a progressive tax structure also taxes retirement income.
12. The amendment allows for multiple income taxes…
Passing the amendment will not only allow Illinois lawmakers to pass any progressive tax rates they want, it would also allow them to tax the same income more than once.
The current language of the Illinois Constitution says the state can only have one income tax. The amendment strips that language from the Illinois Constitution, giving state lawmakers the option to pass multiple taxes on Illinoisans’ income. For example, they could pass an additional income tax dedicated to paying for pensions.
13. Illinois is nearly surrounded by flat tax states…
Several pro-tax ads imply that Illinois’ flat tax makes the state an outlier, especially among its neighbors. But the fact is the majority of Illinois’ neighbors have a flat or nearly-flat tax structure.
Michigan has a flat tax like Illinois. All Michiganders pay the same rate of 4.25 percent. The same goes for residents in Indiana, with a flat state tax of 3.23 percent. Kentuckians, too, pay a flat-tax rate of 5.0 percent. And Missouri’s progressive tax structure is essentially flat, taxing all income above $8,424 at a rate of 5.4 percent.
14. There are 18 states with a flat tax or no income tax at all…
Illinois will not “modernize” its taxes, as some promoters of the tax like to say, by adopting a progressive structure. In fact, the trend nationally has been for states to adopt flat or zero income taxes.
Utahchanged from a progressive income tax to a flat tax in 2008. North Carolina moved to a flat tax in 2014. Kentucky changed to a flat tax in 2018. And Tennessee has passed legislation that will eliminate the state’s income tax by 2022. In contrast, Connecticut was the last state to adopt a progressive income tax back in 1996.
In all, there are currently 18 states nationally that tax residents at the same tax rate. Nine states have flat incomes taxes and nine have no income tax at all.
15. Many progressive tax states treat the middle class like the wealthy…
No matter what pro-tax ads may imply, a progressive tax is not a cure-all for middle-income residents. Many “progressive tax” states tax low- to middle-income workers at the same marginal rate as millionaires. Eighteen of them, in fact. The table below highlights those states.
Georgia, for example, taxes everybody’s income above $7,000 at the marginal rate of 5.75 percent. Idaho’s top marginal rate is 6.93 percent on all income greater than $11,554. Neighboring Missouri has a top rate of 5.4 percent on all incomes above $8,424.
Almost all of the top tax rates in the table are higher than the 4.95 percent Illinoisans pay today, before taking exemptions and deductions into account. Look down the list. Nebraska’s top rate is 6.84 percent on incomes over $31,160. That’s certainly not “millionaire” income levels. Nor is it in Iowa, where residents pay a max of 8.53 percent on the income they make over $73,710. In that whole group of states, only New Mexico has a top rate that’s lower than Illinois’ current flat tax.
16. The progressive tax would result in the second-highest business rate in the nation…
Lawmakers’ introductory progressive tax would raise tax rates on all individuals making over $250,000, many of whom are small business owners, to as high as 7.99 percent from today’s flat rate of 4.95 percent. It would also raise Illinois’ corporate income tax rate to 10.49 percent, the second-highest in the nation, behind only New Jersey.
The Tax Foundation found that Illinois’ business competitiveness would plummet to 47th from 36th nationally under those progressive tax rates.
That’s exactly why Warren Buffett says he wouldn’t relocate a business to a state like Illinois. He knows lawmakers will hit businesses with higher taxes to pay for things like the state’s pension crisis: “In the public sector, you know, it’s a disaster…If I were relocating into some state that had a huge unfunded pension plan, I’m walking into liabilities…And those are big numbers, really big numbers…And when you see what they would have to do – I say to myself, ‘Why do I wanna build a plant there that has to sit there for 30 or 40 years?’”
17. Illinois is already the most corrupt state in the nation…
Voters have to decide if they want to hand over more of their tax dollars to the most corrupt state in the nation.
A 2020 study by the University of Illinois at Chicago found that, “Chicago continues to be the most corrupt city in the country and Illinois remains the third most corrupt state.” And a report by the ABC 7’s investigative news team pegs Illinois as “the most corrupt state in America.”
A Chicago alderman, two state senators and two state representatives have all been indicted in the past year. House Speaker Mike Madigan is under investigation and Senate President Don Harmon’s offices have been raided by federal agents, as well.
18. Illinois is already shrinking more than any other state in the country…
Voters have to decide whether higher taxes are worth the risk of even more residents leaving. Illinois is already losing more people than any other state in the nation. In all, Illinois’ population has shrunk by 170,000 since 2010.
19. Illinoisans already face one of the nation’s highest tax burdens…
Illinoisans have to decide whether they can afford a higher overall tax burden, already one of the nation’s highest.
20. Illinois home values already suffer some of the worst growth in the nation…
Illinoisans have to decide whether their already-suffering home values can handle more tax hikes.
Unfortunately for Illinois homeowners, they already pay the highest property taxes in the nation. Those high taxes and weak demand have damaged the value of Illinoisans’ property. U.S. Census Bureau data shows that real Illinois median home values have fallen by nearly 20 percent since 2005, the 6th-worst performance nationally.
A Wirepoints-Zillow study found that Illinois homeowners lost out on $270 billion in property appreciation between 2009 and 2019 due to the state not growing at the national average.
Last point: Reforms are the alternative to tax hikes
One thing entirely missing from the debate over the progressive tax is spending reforms.
Despite the many crises described above, structural reforms have never been offered to ordinary Illinoisans as an option – only higher taxes.
Vote how you want on Nov. 3, but realize that Illinoisans should have been voting on a pension reform amendment – the constitutional change Illinois really needs.
Roy F. McCampbell's Blog 
Could St. Maria Goretti Have Been Saved?
It’s a bright, early and sunny morning in west suburban Schiller Park.
The neighborhood surrounding St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church comes to life. Church bells ring. Parishioners step out of their cozy brick bungalows and cross the street to the church. This chilly January morning did have a certain uneasiness in the air. It wasn’t […]
https://simplymyperspective.com/could-st-maria-goretti-have-been-saved/
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