Gov. J.B. Pritzker carried his “fair tax” to voters’ 2020 ballots on the promise of middle-class tax relief, but numerous tax and fee hikes the governor signed into law will rob many Illinoisans of any promised savings.
Under Pritzker’s proposed progressive tax system, a married couple in Illinois with two kids earning the $79,168 median annual income and paying the average property tax bill of $4,157 would see $195 in total tax relief, according to the Pritzker administration’s online “fair tax calculator.”
But if that same family uses two cars on a regular basis, they will see a $300 tax hike under Pritzker’s capital plan, which doubles the state’s gas tax and hikes annual vehicle registration fees.
That would leave them $105 in the hole under the income tax rate structure that would take effect if voters approve Pritzker’s progressive tax ballot referendum. And that’s assuming lawmakers don’t change those rates to target the middle class for more revenue. An Illinois Policy Institute analysis found that to fully pay for Pritzker’s spending promises, the average family would have to pay $3,500 more per year under a progressive tax.
