A net of 1.25 million more people left Illinois than entered from 1985-2010, according to data from the Internal Revenue Service on the migration of Illinois taxpayers and their dependents. In every single recorded year, more people left Illinois than entered. Recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates, which go through 2012, show that the exodus has...
Illinois’ jobless rate remained stuck at 8.7 percent for the month of February, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Illinois remains the only state in the Midwest with a higher jobless rate today than when Gov. Pat Quinn took office. When Quinn took office, the jobless rate was 8 percent. The state gained 6,400...
Taxi-industry lobbyists have been working hard to get Chicago to hobble or ban popular ridesharing services such as UberX and Lyft, but they haven’t gotten very far. The problem: these services are just too popular. Aldermen have been overwhelmed with calls and emails from Chicagoans asking them to leave ridesharing alone. So now the taxi...
In February, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office proposed an ordinance that would force popular ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft to severely change the way they do business, if not shut down entirely. We pointed out some of the proposal’s many serious problems, and Chicago aldermen reported thousands of people emailing them asking them...
Illinois is in a jobs crisis, now claiming the second-highest jobless rate nationally and the highest jobless rate in the Midwest. Gov. Pat Quinn and his allies are now on the move to make the problem worse for young people and minorities. Quinn should have learned from his own dismal record. Since Quinn took office,...
Illinois’ loss of 27,600 payroll jobs in January was second-worst nationally, according to today’s release from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only California, which shed 31,500 payroll positions, fared worse. Texas and Ohio led the nation in adding payroll jobs. Illinois is one of six states with an unemployment rate significantly above the...
Indiana cut taxes again last week. And it gained another Illinois business. On Thursday, Indiana cut business taxes, including a reduction in the corporate rate. That came on the heels of AM Manufacturing Co.’s announcement that it will move from Illinois to Indiana. AM Manufacturing Co. is a family-owned machine manufacturer. AM Manufacturing will move...
The Liberty Justice Center’s legal challenge to Evanston’s anti-competitive food-truck law took an important step forward this week, as Cook County Circuit Court Judge Jean Prendergast Rooney denied the city government’s motion to dismiss our lawsuit’s claims that the city’s law violates the due process and equal protection guarantees of the Illinois Constitution. The Liberty...
The Chicago Bears are in the market for a pass-rusher to bolster their defensive line. But taxation in Illinois’ can make it difficult to lure talent from other states. The Bears targeted Seattle’s Michael Bennett, whose younger brother Martellus stars at tight-end for Chicago. Brad Biggs from the Chicago Tribune placed Chicago’s offer at around...
Illinois has the highest jobless rate in the Midwest, and the third-highest in the nation. But not only that. Illinois’ jobless rate has gone up more in the last five years than any other state in the nation. Despite this dismal record, cheerleaders for the state government cite various studies to support a claim...
More bad news is coming on the heels of the Bureau of Labor Statistics report that Illinois dropped 27,600 payroll jobs in the month of January alone. More than 1,000 workers will be laid off in comings weeks and months, according to advance notices filed by businesses to regulators. Businesses such as Accretive Health and...
Illinois policies continue to smother the job prospects for people in the state. Yesterday, the Illinois Department of Employment Security, or IDES, reported that the state lost jobs for the second month in a row. Illinois lost 27,600 payroll jobs in January, compared to 129,000 jobs gained nationally. The Illinois unemployment rate for January is...
Illinois started the New Year in the wrong direction, with businesses reporting a loss of 27,600 payroll jobs in January. The January loss makes two consecutive months of job losses. The unemployment rate declined from 8.9 percent to 8.7 percent. The number of payroll jobs today is the same as it was in November of...
An ironic piece of legislation has been proposed in the Illinois Senate. Senate Bill 3126 would reduce the corporate income tax rate from 7 percent to 3.5 percent, but also raise the minimum wage nearly 50 percent, to $12 from $8.25. Cutting corporate tax rates is a great idea in the state with the fourth-highest...