Illinois needs a vision, not just a budget
Illinois needs a vision, not just a budget
The Illinois Senate budget proposal merely puts off the state’s day of reckoning through more of the same: tax hikes, borrowing and spending, without the necessary reforms to put the state on a path to fiscal and economic health.
By Ted Dabrowski
Illinois Supreme Court ends Chicago tax on suburban car rentals
Illinois Supreme Court ends Chicago tax on suburban car rentals
The Illinois Supreme Court shut down a tax Chicago was imposing on car rentals outside city limits, noting the potentially chaotic nature of the policy.
6 highlights from Illinois criminal justice commission’s final report
6 highlights from Illinois criminal justice commission’s final report
The criminal justice commission’s recommendations work toward providing more opportunity for ex-offenders and reducing the state’s prison population.
By Hilary Gowins
Illinois loses 16,700 jobs in face of new tax hike proposals
Illinois loses 16,700 jobs in face of new tax hike proposals
New Illinois jobs data reveal a state with thousands of job losses, unemployment rising to 5.7 percent, a collapsing manufacturing sector, and several downstate communities sliding back into recession — all of which make the Illinois Senate’s new tax hike proposal especially harmful.
By Michael Lucci
The Illinois state senators who pledged not to raise taxes
The Illinois state senators who pledged not to raise taxes
As pressure mounts on state senators and representatives to vote in favor of multibillion-dollar tax hikes, lawmakers should remember the promises they’ve made to taxpayers.
By Brendan Bakala
AFSCME strike would be illegal if, as AFSCME claims, there is no impasse
AFSCME strike would be illegal if, as AFSCME claims, there is no impasse
Illinois law provides state workers a right to strike – but only if a strike is legal. State workers represented by AFSCME can go on strike only if the union and the state are at impasse in contract negotiations – and AFSCME claims they are not.
By Mailee Smith
What an AFSCME strike would mean for workers, residents
What an AFSCME strike would mean for workers, residents
As an AFSCME strike looms on the horizon, many are questioning how a strike would affect state workers and Illinois residents. While a potential strike should have minimal impact on residents, AFSCME members have much more to lose.
By Mailee Smith
AFSCME strike vote: Understanding the timeline of a potential first-ever AFSCME strike in Illinois
AFSCME strike vote: Understanding the timeline of a potential first-ever AFSCME strike in Illinois
The union representing Illinois state workers scheduled a strike authorization vote for sometime between Jan. 30 and Feb. 19 – and it could be the first AFSCME strike in state history.
By Mailee Smith
Shrinking McHenry County needs to cap and cut property taxes
Shrinking McHenry County needs to cap and cut property taxes
Local officials’ failure to address skyrocketing property taxes has pushed residents out of McHenry County at astonishing rates.
By Michael Lucci
Senate budget proposal could make soda in Chicago the most expensive in the nation
Senate budget proposal could make soda in Chicago the most expensive in the nation
The new statewide sugary drink tax, on top of Cook County’s similar tax and Chicago’s highest-in-the-nation sales tax, would make soda prices in the city skyrocket.
Illinois Senate proposes income tax hike in the face of record out-migration and wealth flight
Illinois Senate proposes income tax hike in the face of record out-migration and wealth flight
The Illinois Senate’s proposed budget plan would raise the personal income tax rate to at least 4.95 percent with no real reforms to address the state’s skyrocketing debt and unsustainable spending. This proposal comes despite Illinois’ loss of $14 billion in annual income and hundreds of thousands of people in the wake of the 2011 income tax hike.
By Michael Lucci
Illinois taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to bail out politicians’ failures
Illinois taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to bail out politicians’ failures
The Illinois Senate’s budget “compromise” hits Illinoisans with more than $5 billion in tax hikes, continued budget deficits and no real reforms.
By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner
Nippon Sharyo announces 100 layoffs, despite $10 million in state subsidies and tax credits
Nippon Sharyo announces 100 layoffs, despite $10 million in state subsidies and tax credits
Nippon Sharyo points to prototype difficulties and unspecified business concerns as the main reasons behind the layoffs.
By Brendan Bakala