Issue Position: Fiscal Responsibility

Issue Position

Our state's fiscal status is desperate. Over the past few years, we have struggled to pass a balanced budget, and make the decisions required to get Illinois back into a responsible fiscal position. We need a budget that is not balanced on the back of the working class and small business, rather balanced in a progressive manner, with the ultra wealthy and large corporations who can best afford it paying their fair share.

Taxes:
Illinois' taxes are out of control. The citizens of Illinois pay some of the highest property taxes in the nation, we pay our state income taxes, and all of the other taxes that we have all come to accept at this point. Due to the fact that Illinois now ranks 51st in terms of its overall tax burden across the nation, we are losing record numbers of citizens.

That 51st rank is obviously the worst for all states and the District of Columbia. We need to re-evaluate where this money is going, and how, with the highest tax burden in the nation, we are still almost in junk status. It stands to reason that we, as a state, are collecting plenty of money, but must be mismanaging what we are doing with the money we bring in.

It is our goal to find a way to decrease the tax burden of our citizens by freezing property tax rates, finding ways to better manage our money, and shift the burden off the middle class by implementing a progressive tax rate and closing tax loopholes for the rich. We can also bring in a large amount of new income by taxing LaSalle Street. This tax could improve our budgeting capabilities, and offer new incentives for the people of our state to remain in Illinois, as well as bring back our citizens who left which will mean a bigger and stronger economy.

Distribution of Funds:
Most of the money that is collected and then distributed comes into the general fund. Money taken in for specific purposes can be used for other purposes once it enters the general fund.

We need to be more transparent in where funds are going. I propose that we start creating specific funds for specific purposes in our state, and make that information available for the citizens of Illinois.

We believe we should create a budget, and then place that money in the funds for those budgeted items and out of the general fund. The money in those specific funds can only go to those areas to ensure that we stick to the budgets that we lay out. This will allow us to get our state back on track, and allow the people of Illinois to trust that the money that is collected is going to the right places.

Districts:
Part of the problem with the finances of Illinois is the heavy burden of the administrative salaries of all of the officials in all of the districts Illinois has. Illinois has nearly 7,000 units of local governments. This is the highest in the nation. The next closest has 1800 less units of local government as Illinois.

This is an issue because all of these units of local government require administrators. The units of local government include; municipal, township, and county governments. Over 61% of Illinois residents live under all three of these types of government. In 40 other states, not one citizen lives in more than two of these types of local government. This doesn't include all of the other types of local units of government that are often introduced to our citizens such as park districts, library districts, and even fire protection districts. Some citizens in Illinois are under as many as 16 local governmental units.

Many of these layers are redundant, and the local taxpayers are on the hook for standing these units up. I propose we make it easier for the people of these districts to decide if they believe the districts should be combined and managed by less people. The current process to do this is difficult, and confusing. We need to put the power of governing back into the hands of the people.

Source