State Senator Don Harmon believes that voters deserve the opportunity to decide whether or not the state of Illinois should have a Fair Tax or keep its current flat tax system. He’s introduced a constitutional amendment to put the question on the ballot in November.
“Changing the Illinois Constitution to allow us to create a Fair Tax will allow us to apply lower rates to lower income levels and higher rates to higher income levels,” Harmon explained.
Though the amendment itself does not set tax rates, Harmon has proposed a set of rates that would lower taxes for all families making less than $200,000. This would result in 94% of Illinois households receiving a tax cut. 
Under the plan, effective income tax rates start at 2.9% and gradually increase with income. The highest marginal nominal tax rate would be 6.9%, but even at $300,000, the effective rate would be less than 6%.
Want to know how much you could save under Harmon’s plan? Find out here.
“We have three choices. We can adopt the Fair Tax. We can continue an unfair, regressive flat tax of 5%. We can cut government services – education, health care, human services – by 20% across the board,” Harmon said. “Or we can forge a third way and adopt the Fair Tax.”
A 20% across the board budget cut would result in:
• 13,400 teacher layoffs
• 95,000 children losing access to preschool
• 30,000 college students losing need-based scholarships
• 11 prisons closing
• 15,000 convicted criminals being set free
• 3,000 prison guards losing their jobs
The federal government and 34 other states – including Illinois neighbors Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin and Kentucky – tax incomes based on ability to pay.
Flat taxes take money out of the hands of people who need it most – and who are most likely to spend it and boost the economy – and lets rich CEOs and corporations pay less.
Senator Harmon believes you – the voters – should have the right to decide.
If you agree, click here to sign A Better Illinois’ petition calling on the General Assembly to pass Senator Harmon’s amendment and to give the voters a choice.
