Posted by Monique Garcia at 12:25 p.m.
Gov. Pat Quinn is backing off a proposal to tax music and video downloads in an effort to plug the state’s massive budget hole, saying he still believes raising the income tax is the best way to generate money for the state.
Quinn floated the idea of taxing downloads from online services such as iTunes in a meeting with legislative leaders earlier this week, but the proposal received a cold reception in Springfield. Today, Quinn said that he was simply offering suggestions on ways to solve the state’s budget crisis and does not support the plan, which would have generated $5 million to $10 million a year.
“We had a meeting with the legislative leaders the other day, we made a list of all the possible things that could happen,” Quinn said. “I didn’t advocate that. I’m not interested in doing that, frankly.”
Instead, Quinn is pushing to raise the state income tax from 3 percent to 4 percent — a 33 percent increase in the tax rate — though lawmakers have been skeptical of that idea as they prepare to face voters in the November election. Quinn has attempted to paint the tax increase as necessary to prevent massive cuts to education, and thousands rallied for his cause at the state Capitol on Wednesday.
“I’ve proposed a 1 percent surcharge for education off the income tax,” Quinn said. “That’s what I’m for. I think it should be very clear that we should focus on that because that’s where you can get significant resources to save our schools from radical cuts.”