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| Ruling Send Lawmakers Back to the Drawing Board |
(IRN)-State lawmakers who made promises to constituents regarding raising taxes may have to break them.
It's likely that after some state lawmakers pushed through a massive income and corporate tax increased in the final days of the last general assembly, they didn't receive a warm welcome home. Perhaps some promised to look the other way when talk of raising taxes comes up again. Now lawmakers face the possibility of having to vote on more tax hikes, after the Illinois appellate court said the massive package to fund road, bridge and school construction projects throughout the state is in violation of the constitution.
That means there's a chance lawmakers will have to start over if they want to raise taxes on items like toothpaste and soda and legalize video gambling to pay for a $31 billion construction plan, breaking promises and possibly endangering their political career come the next election.
State Senator Matt Murphy isn't so sure everything passed in the initial construction bill will pass again.
"There's certainly growing fatigue over taxes and I know there's a fatigue over more borrowing," Murphy said.
As for as any Republican support, Murphy says it's hard at this point to tell if Republicans would support some measures that weren't popular to begin with.
"It remains to be seen whether or not there would be the same level of Republican support given where we are now, and in light of the recent tax increase," Murphy said.
As for video poker machines in bars to help raise revenue, something many municipalities have already opted out of, Murphy says it may be hard to get the votes for that bill to pass on its own, given the negative criticism the legislation saw when it initially passed.
Governor Pat Quinn says he will appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court.
(Source: Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 01 27 11 by Newsroom |
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