Springfield….State Representative Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) has left no doubt since taking office as 118th district State Rep. in January 2019 that he opposes Illinois Democrats’ efforts to raise revenues through a graduated income tax system. In fact, the first-term State Representative has sponsored a House Resolution, issued press releases, social media statements, and held Capitol press conferences to express his vehement opposition to a progressive tax.
Windhorst joined 43 other House Republican members and rose on the floor of the House of Representatives on Monday afternoon to warn against the potential devastating economic impacts of the progressive tax policy change.
Here is the transcript of Rep. Windhorst’s remarks:
“Our state is losing people by the tens of thousands a year. Many people are leaving because we have the highest overall tax burden of any state in the Union. Raising taxes is not the answer and will only make our situation worse. We will continue to lose population, and the burden will be worse on the rest of us. We have to grow our way out of this problem by adding tax payers. With fiscal sanity, we have the ability to balance our budget and bring down our debt without a tax increase. This amendment will remove protections for the middle class and will result in higher taxes for job creators, and will cause more people to flee our state. I strongly urge a no vote.”
The House eventually passed SJRCA 1 by a slim majority. All House Republicans voted No on the plan. Having passed both Chambers, the question of whether to amend the Constitution to allow for a graduated tax will be placed on the 2020 ballot for Illinois voters to decide.