The Illinois General Assembly has approved the official ballot language for the Fair Tax, as well as the arguments for and against the amendment that will be mailed to voters.
Here is how the ballot language will read:
The proposed amendment grants the State authority to impose higher income tax rates on higher income levels, which is how the federal government and a majority of other states do it. The amendment would remove the portion of the Revenue Article of the Illinois Constitution that is sometimes referred to as the “flat tax,” that requires all taxes on income to be at the same rate. The amendment does not itself change tax rates. It gives the State the ability to impose higher tax rates on those with higher income levels and lower tax rates on those with middle or lower income levels. You are asked to decide whether the proposed amendment should become a part of the Illinois Constitution.
Read the following excerpt from IFT President Dan Montgomery's, Fair Tax, Fair Future, article that lists the reality of what a Fair Tax will do for Illinois schools, communities, and social services.
Here is the reality. Everything we need to get done in Illinois requires more revenue to be accomplished. Our state has a long-standing structural deficit and a $13 billion (and growing) backlog of unpaid bills. Just think of what Illinois could look like – what your school district, university, or community could look like – with full funding of the evidence-based K-12 formula, a massive boost to higher education dollars, and with adequately funded state services for our neediest citizens. Think of the social programs that could be restored, the MAP grants that could be provided for low income students, and the class sizes that could be reduced in K-12 schools. With a fair tax, we can begin to achieve these goals without raising taxes on 97 percent of working women and men. All we must do is simply ask the wealthy and millionaires among us to pay their fair share.
Visit ift-aft.org/fairtaxresources for downloadable graphics, videos, news, and other resources.