IEA-recommended gubernatorial primary candidate Dan Hynes has made a progressive income tax the cornerstone of his campaign.
A progressive tax means the bigger your income, the higher percentage of it you pay to the state. The theory behind a progressive tax is that it places the burden of the tax on those who are most able to pay it.
Currently in Illinois, the tax structure takes a higher percentage of income from the poorest Illinoisans and a lower percentage from the richest in the state. This is because money is collected from a flat income tax, sales and excise taxes and property taxes, which collectively add up to a larger percentage of a poor person’s paycheck than a rich person’s.
As former NEA President Reg Weaver used to remind us: “If you’re trying to raise revenue by taxing poor people, it won’t work for one obvious reason. Poor people don’t have any money!”
Vote on Feb. 2.