Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to ask for an increase in the state income tax Wednesday when he delivers his first State of the address, and many state legislators said they favor a tax hike.
Gov. Pat Quinn is expected to ask for an increase in the state income tax Wednesday when he delivers his first State of the address, and many state legislators said they favor a tax hike.
“I would support an income tax increase for several reasons. First, it would help education programs, such as Head Start. It would also fund youth programs so kids have something to do after school besides hanging out on the corner,” state Sen. Rickey Hendon, D-5th Dist., told the Defender. His district includes portions of the West Side.
He added that unemployment in the Black community–especially among young people–exceeds the national unemployment rate, which is now at 8.1 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
“In the Black community, unemployment is 50 percent, and it’s even higher for young folks,” Hendon said. “That’s why we need to get jobs for our young people. But in the meantime, let’s get them off these streets, and more money from an income tax increase could help do that.”
Fellow state Sen. Donne Trotter, D-17th Dist., whose district includes the South Shore community on the South Side, said raising taxes would generate the most revenue.
“I absolutely support a tax hike. The only way to balance a budget is to come up with a revenue stream, and that’s taxes,” said Trotter, who chairs the Appropriations committee. There’s only so much the state can cut, and I do not know what else we can cut.”
Trotter said he hopes the governor outlines a plan to improve funding for schools, creates jobs and vocational training programs and improve health care.
“As more people lose their jobs, they become more dependent on Medicaid and other state health facilities,” he said. “And we can’t cut Medicaid so we have to grow it within reason.”
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