Pritzker claims statewide economic growth, but these Illinois metro areas are shedding jobs

By Bryce Hill

02/10/2020

Despite Gov. J.B. Pritzker touting growth in “every major region,” Illinois shed jobs in three metropolitan areas and lagged the national average in seven more.

TAGS: Bloomington, BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, budget, Carbondale, Champaign, Chicago, constitutional amendment, economic competitiveness, economic growth, economics, economy, employment, fair tax, flat tax, government spending, graduated income tax, Great Recession, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, income growth, JB Pritzker, job creation, jobs, labor, Madison County, metro areas, Metro East, Moline, pensions, Peoria, population, progressive income tax, recession, Rockford, spending, spending cap, Springfield, St. Clair County, tax burden, tax hikes, tax increase, unemployment, Urbana, working-age

Illinois government spending growth among nation’s highest, personal income growth among lowest

By Bryce Hill

02/04/2020

Robust growth in government spending has failed to yield similar results for Illinoisans’ incomes

TAGS: economic competitiveness, economic growth, government spending, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, income growth, JB Pritzker, job creation, jobs, private sector, public sector, spending, spending cap, Springfield

State of the state: Pritzker saw worst first-year jobs numbers since Blagojevich

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill

01/27/2020

Illinois job creation lagged the national median in nearly every sector.

TAGS: 401(k), BLS: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Chicago, constitutional amendment, economic competitiveness, economic growth, fair tax, government spending, graduated income tax, housing, housing market, IDES: Illinois Department of Employment Security, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, Illinois Constitution, income, income growth, JB Pritzker, job creation, jobs, labor, labor force participation rate, outmigration, pensions, personal income, population, private sector, progressive income tax, public sector, retirement age, spending, spending cap, Springfield, tax burden, tax hikes, tax increase, U.S. Census Bureau, unemployment

Illinois personal income growth 2nd lowest in U.S. since Great Recession

By Bryce Hill

01/09/2020

Only Mississippi has fared worse than Illinois in personal income growth since the Great Recession hit at the end of 2007. Analysis shows state income taxes matter.

TAGS: corporate income tax, flat tax, graduated income tax, Great Recession, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Illinois, income, income growth, income tax, JB Pritzker, labor, marginal tax, personal income, population, progressive income tax, recession, Springfield, tax burden

Progressive tax uncertainty could trip Illinois’ already-stumbling economy

By Orphe Divounguy, Chena Underhill

07/25/2019

The elections scheduled for November 2020 are already injecting uncertainty into the economy, and the progressive income tax ballot question will make matters worse.

TAGS: economy, fair tax, graduated income tax, income growth, income tax, JB Pritzker, progressive income tax, taxes

7 reasons to reject a progressive income tax in Illinois

By Bryce Hill

04/11/2019

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is pushing a progressive state income tax without delivering the numbers to prove his promises. The numbers available from other states make it clear a progressive tax will hurt Illinois’ economy.

TAGS: fair tax, income growth, income inequality, income tax, JB Pritzker, labor force participation rate, outmigration, progressive income tax, taxes, unemployment

Pritzker releases contradicting numbers on $3.4B tax hike

By Orphe Divounguy, Bryce Hill, Suman Chattopadhyay

03/27/2019

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's inconsistent progressive income tax numbers don't add up, which means he will have to pass middle-class tax hikes to raise what he wants to spend.

TAGS: Civic Federation, fair tax, Illinois Department of Revenue, income growth, income tax, JB Pritzker, progressive income tax, taxes

Unlocking Opportunity: How Occupational Licensing Reform Would Promote Equitable Empowerment in Illinois

Illinois finds itself at a crossroads: will it empower minorities and poor people to unleash their potential, or will it perpetuate an inequitable status quo? For far too many Illinoisans, opportunity is unfairly and unnecessarily out of reach. Illinois ranks in the bottom ten among all states in social mobility and last among Midwest states...

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Unlocking Opportunity: How Occupational Licensing Reform Would Promote Equitable Empowerment in Illinois

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Brandi Lentz

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students