Illinois progressive income tax amended falls short

Posted on May 4, 2016

By Cole Lauterbach/Illinois Radio Network

SPRINGFIELD – The push to change Illinois’ Constitution to allow for a progressive income tax has come up short.

With the clack of his gavel, State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) adjourned the House Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday was the last chance to get a constitutional amendment on the November ballot. The House adjourned without voting on the measure.

Long-time political observer Kent Redfield with the University of Illinois-Springfield explained the timeline.

“There’s a requirement that constitutional amendments pass the legislature more than six months before the general election. You’ve run out of legislative days to get it done. It’s essentially dead,” he said.

The Department of Revenue said Lang’s progressive tax proposal would have caused more than 43 thousand Illinoisans to move out of the state in the first four years.

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