SPRINGFIELD (March 26, 2014) – Illinois Policy Institute Executive Vice President Kristina Rasmussen released the following statement today in response to Gov. Quinn’s Budget Address:

“When Gov. Quinn ran for office in 2010, he promised Illinois taxpayers he would not sign into law a tax increase above 1 percentage point, or 33 percent. A few months after the election, he signed Illinois’ largest tax increase in state history: a tax increase of 2 percentage points, or 67 percent tax, that cost the average Illinois family one week’s pay.

“Gov. Quinn lied about the size of the tax increase.

“Back when he signed that massive tax increase in 2011, Gov. Quinn promised the tax increase would ensure Illinois has a strong economy and allow the state to pay down its backlog of unpaid bills. When the tax increase was signed into law, Illinois had an $8.5 billion backlog of unpaid bills. Today, the backlog of unpaid bills stands at $7 billion. Illinois now has the second highest unemployment rate in the nation.

“Gov. Quinn lied about how the money from the tax increase would be used and how it would affect the state’s economy.

“Gov. Quinn also said the tax increase would be temporary.

“Today, Gov. Quinn made it clear that he lied about the tax increase being temporary. By the time the tax increase is scheduled to sunset in 2015, Illinois taxpayers will have sent Quinn more than $31 billion. Yet all that money did was feed Quinn and Illinois politicians’ appetite to tax-and-spend.

“Quinn tried to paper over these facts today by painting a rosier-than-reality picture of Illinois. The truth is this: This morning, more than 1 million Illinoisans woke up and either did not have a job, or were underemployed. State spending has increased under Quinn. And at best, Quinn’s so-called “pension reform” law dials back the pension crisis to 2011 levels – hardly a fix.

“The good news is that Illinois can make good on its promise of tax relief, and Illinois can turn around its economy. The Illinois Policy Institute has laid out a menu of reforms that would help Illinois government keep its promise to taxpayers, balance its budget, and pay back its backlog of unpaid bills. These ideas will promote freedom and fairness for all Illinoisans.”