Editors note 12/17/20

By Fletcher Farrar

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Gov. JB Pritzker is right that had his fair-tax constitutional amendment passed, allowing a progressive income tax, the budget deficit Illinois now faces wouldn't be as dire. The incomes of Illinois' wealthiest one percent have ballooned from an annual average of $411,177 in 1979 to over $1.45 million by 2017, while they still pay the same income tax rate as everyone else. Now the governor has proposed $700 million in budget cuts, and the non-wealthy will bear most of the burden. Pritzker gets it, but his one failed effort is not enough. The tax structure is a big part of this state's problem, and must be addressed. –Fletcher Farrar, editor and CEO

About The Author

Fletcher Farrar

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Fletcher Farrar is the editor of Illinois Times .

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