Illinois State Senator Says Voters Will Decide Graduated Income Tax

If Illinois were to pass a graduated income tax rate, it will be up the voters. In order to have a graduated tax rate, we have have to pass a constitutional amendment. State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant from the 49th district representing Joliet and surrounding areas said that was the first vote held in the Senate on Wednesday.

Bertino-Tarrant says the vote fell along party lines with no votes from the republican side of the aisle. The second bill voted on Wednesday, shows the structure of the income tax rate that Governor Pritzker is proposing. There are five layers of various tax percentages. Anyone making more than 250-thousand dollars will pay more in taxes and anyone who makes less than a quarter million dollars will pay the same or less income tax. In Will County County 98-percent of people’s tax rate will either stay the same or go down. But Bertino-Tarrant voted “no” on the structure of the income tax rate because she wanted to hear from voters first. Bertino-Tarrant tells the Scott Slocum Show that voting for the graduated income tax rate before the amendment is approved by voters is like “putting the cart before the horse.” She wants to hear from her constituents this summer.

The graduated income tax amendment will be on the 2020 ballot if the House approves it. The graduated income tax rate could take in a possible 3.2 billion dollars annually.