Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker presented his first budget address to members of the House and Senate today, including a proposal to increase income taxes to generate more revenue for state government. State Representative Charlie Meier (R-Okawville) released the following statement:
“Governor Pritzker’s budget and income tax proposal will not solve Illinois’ fiscal crisis. His proposal unfortunately is not balanced. The governor’s budget banks on more taxes, more spending and more borrowing. Borrowing more money does not balance the budget nor does it solve our problems. As proposed, this budget includes borrowing $878 million from our already underfunded pension system which will add billions to our state debt in the long run.
Illinois has a spending problem that won’t be cured with more borrowing and higher taxes. I respectfully disagree with Governor Pritzker’s budget and tax hike proposal, I hope he will work with both sides of the aisle in order to reach a bipartisan agreement on a budget that is balanced without more taxes.”