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Long Agenda for State Lawmakers Returning to Springfield
As lawmakers return to Springfield Tuesday, Governor Pat Quinn says he will push them hard to approve the income tax increase he proposed.

Quinn says he understands resistance to a tax increase, but he doesn't see any other solution to the state's dire financial predicament.

"We've never had such a huge deficit,"he said. "I'm not going to just sort of stand around and smell rosebuds while we have to get the people of Illinois back to work. We've gotta pay the hospitals, the nursing homes, the pharmacies and all of the other employers, small businesses of Illinois, that are waiting six or seven months for the state of Illinois to pay its bills."

The Quinn proposal raises the income tax rate from 3 percent to 4.5%, but it triples the personal exemption, so many taxpayers will get a decrease or no increase. However, the income tax proposal will be difficult to pass, because lawmakers know it will be unpopular with the voting public, and it's a small enough increase that it won't bring in the revenue needed to pay the state's bills by itself.

The governor also wants to pass a capital construction program, and ethics legislation. The legislative session is scheduled to be over on or before May 31st.

(Illinois Radio Network)
04 20 09 by Newsroom
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