“Fair Tax” approved by Illinois House, now goes to voters

Leaders Also Announce Property Tax Relief Task Force As Part of Fair Tax; Bipartisan, Bicameral Task Force to Make Recommendations for Property Tax Relief. The “Fair Tax” law will be presented to Illinois Voters in a binding referendum in the November 2020 elections

Governor JB Pritzker and a bicameral group of lawmakers celebrated the historic passage of a constitutional amendment to let voters decide whether to change Illinois’ income tax system to make it fair for the middle class and working families, while asking those who make more than $250,000 to pay more.

“For years, Illinoisans have been fighting to make our income tax system more fair to middle class families and those striving to get there, and this monumental vote in the General Assembly means that voters will have the right to decide our system for themselves in November 2020,” said Gov. JB Pritzker.

“Together, we will continue our fight to make sure that 97 percent of Illinoisans will pay the same or less in income taxes and only those making more than $250,000 pay more. I want to especially thank Senate President Cullerton, House Speaker Madigan and the working group of lawmakers who put this constitutional amendment on the ballot.”

Building on the Senate’s Fair Tax package, Gov. Pritzker and the group of lawmakers also announced the creation of the Property Tax Relief Task Force, designed to make recommendations that would give homeowners across the state property tax relief.

The Property Tax Relief Task Force would be created through an amendment to the fair tax rate legislation that passed the Senate earlier this month, and the group would be required to report back to the Governor and the General Assembly by Dec. 31, 2019. An initial report will be due 90 days after the law takes effect.

“For far too long, families across Illinois have struggled under too-high property tax burdens and an unfair income tax system that protects the wealthiest,” Gov. JB Pritzker said.

“This task force is a commonsense addition to the fair tax, which aims to protect the middle class and those striving to get there while those making $250,000 and above pay more.”

The Property Task Relief Task Force will be charged with using a racial and economic equity lens to identify the causes of increasingly burdensome property taxes across Illinois, review best practices in public policy strategies that create short- and long-term property tax relief for homeowners, and make recommendations to assist in the development of short- and long-term administrative, electoral, and legislative changes to create short- and long-term property tax relief for homeowners.

The group will include two appointees from the Office of the Governor, as well as members of the House and Senate appointed by their chambers’ leaders.

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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