News From

State Representative Ron Stephens

For Immediate Release: March 18, 2009

Contact: Rep. Stephens

618-651-0405

Stephens: Families and businesses should prepare for massive tax increases

Governor Quinn’s plan will increase taxes and fees for middle-class families

Springfield… Illinois residents and businesses will see taxes and fees increase dramatically if Governor Quinn’s proposed budget plan is enacted, according to State Representative Ron Stephens (R-Highland).

“The budget plan proposed today in the Governor’s State of the State speech is an abysmal collection of taxes and fees that will do nothing but burden the hardworking residents of Illinois,” Rep. Stephens said. “Our first obligation as legislators is to the people of our districts, and if we go along with this plan, we will be turning our back on each and every one of our constituents.

“Families in Greenville, Highland, O’Fallon and everywhere else around my district are forced to live within their means,” Rep. Stephens continued. “The state should do so as well.”

The Governor’s plan calls for a 50-percent income tax increase, while at the same time trimming only one percent from state government. Rep. Stephens feels as though government should trim back further and spare middle-class families from shouldering the state’s debt.

“I am amazed at the audacity of the Democrat leadership to propose taxing the residents of Illinois and not make any substantial cuts in state government,” Rep. Stephens said. “The Governor’s plan increases taxes on working families and their employers by 50 percent. There is no property tax relief. There are no government spending restraints.

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There are no true structural reforms. Five years from now, we’ll be back in the same mess we’re in currently.”

Other key components of the Governor’s budget plan include raising the $78 license-plate sticker fee to $98, as well as increasing the cigarette tax up by an additional $1-a-pack over two years. Other Democrat leaders in the General Assembly are also proposing an increase in the state sales tax on motor fuel.

Over the past six years, Democrat leadership has increased state spending by $6 billion. Rep. Stephens believes the legislature needs to take a harder look at what can be cut and reworked within state government before it begins instituting new taxes.

“It is obvious that the Democrats in Illinois are undisciplined when they have free reign of the checkbook,” Rep. Stephens said. “Now they come before us asking for more money. Why should we consider handing them an additional blank check when they were the ones who spent us into this massive financial mess?”

Rep. Stephens said if Illinois can get its budget back on track if the legislature properly utilized federal stimulus money, instituted a moratorium on new state spending, made needed budget cuts, privatized the management of the lottery, sold off state surplus property and adopted pension reforms.

“It’s not a one step problem,” Rep. Stephens said. “We’ve gotten ourselves into this mess over the course of six long years. It’s going to take some real cuts in order to get ourselves back in the black. We can start the process by eliminating special pension privileges for members of the General Assembly.”

Rep. Stephens said it will ultimately be the residents of Illinois that are hurt the worst by the Governor’s proposed budget plan.

“Illinois unemployment has hit a 15-year high of 7.9 percent. Many families have lost their jobs and their homes, with many more teetering on the brink. Raising their taxes will just serve to push them over the edge,” Rep. Stephens said. “We need to put people in Illinois back to work. We need a capital program. Raising taxes on employers will just drive companies out of the state and cause our unemployment numbers to rise even further.”

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