Just last year the General Assembly passed a 32 percent tax hike. Now, one gubernatorial candidate is speaking out in favor of another tax--the progressive income tax.
Illinois has been leading the Midwest in something called "Outbound Migration" for quite a while now. Outbound migration is just a fancy way of saying "people leaving the state." One of the prominent reasons for people hitting the road out of here (and there are many reasons) can be summed up in one word. Taxes.
As a native Illinoisan, I'm rarely surprised by the goings-on in Springfield. I mean, after the recent multi-billion dollar tax hike, coupled with dubious claims of balancing the budget that we know aren't true--how could the idea of the state reaching even further into our pockets come as a surprise? It doesn't. But, it's still making me angry.
Put the budget and the other financial problems Illinois is having on the back burner! As Illinois taxpayers wait to see if lawmakers can craft a budget before session ends May 31, the Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill prohibiting restaurants from labeling a menu item as catfish unless it actually contains catfish. Seriously.
There has been plenty of discussion recently about how our state of Illinois is leading the Midwest in what's called outbound migration. Outbound migration is another way of saying "leaving where they are and heading to someplace else," as in getting out of Illinois for better opportunities elsewhere.
We've discussed the fact that Illinois is leading the Midwest in outbound migration before in this space (Here, here, and here), and we've covered the reasons, starting with high property taxes, that people are looking to get out. Now, taking a look at what a moving truck rental costs people who are leaving Illinois really drives the point home.
I'm guessing that when you go out shopping, you don't just pile items in your cart without looking at what they cost. Unless you're a highly-compensated professional athlete, lottery winner, or all-around rich person, you just can't do it like that.
Illinois is leading the Midwest in outbound migration, leading the Midwest in unemployment, and leading the Midwest in pension debt and unpaid bills. So naturally, our representatives in Springfield are talking about bacon and milkweeds.