Republican Senators Warn $6 Billion in New Taxes Will Devastate Illinois’ Small Business Community
During National Small Business Week, I sounded the alarm over a new proposal from Governor JB Pritzker’s Democratic allies to raise taxes by $6 billion to pay for the upcoming record-high budget.
This would devastate Illinois’ already struggling small business community. The proposed tax hikes come on the heels of a $1 billion increase enacted in the current fiscal year to support record-high state spending in the current budget.
Democrat lawmakers are now considering new taxes that would hit local employers even harder, including a digital advertising tax that penalizes small businesses trying to reach customers online, and a corporate income tax increase that targets those already operating on tight margins.
When Democrats choose tax hikes and policies that stifle growth, working families suffer the consequences. It is time to stop forcing small businesses and working families to foot the bill for the Governor’s out-of-control spending, including hundreds of millions of dollars in expanded benefits for non-citizens.
This government expects families and employers to do with less income but excludes itself.
I reject Governor Pritzker’s tax-and-spend agenda and am driving a much smaller, balanced budget.
Senate Republicans Push Back Against Estate Tax Hike, Fight to Protect Family Farms
Here we go again…. Democrats are pushing to lower the state’s estate tax exemption from $4 million to $2 million. This would have a devastating impact on small, family-owned farms and businesses that already struggle under one of the highest tax burdens in the nation.
Lowering the threshold means more grieving families would be forced to pay hefty taxes simply for inheriting land or assets that have been in their families for generations.
For example, many farm families could be forced to sell farmland or equipment just to cover the tax bill, putting the future of their operations at risk.
My Senate Republican colleagues have long pushed to either phase out or raise the exemption threshold to better align with federal policy and reduce the burden on family-owned enterprises.
It’s simply not fair for the government to come in and confiscate that financial success, which was intended to be a legacy for surviving family members.
Legislation to Ban Glocks Punishes the Lawful, Not the Criminals
Illinois Democrats introduced legislation effectively banning the sale of certain handguns to civilians, sparking serious concerns among Second Amendment supporters.
House Bill 4045 and its companion, Senate Bill 2652, would make it a felony to manufacture, sell, or transfer pistols deemed “convertible,” a label aimed at Glock handguns that criminals have illegally modified with devices to make them operate like fully automatic weapons.
Democrats claim it is intended to address criminal misuse of auto-switch devices. However, these devices are already banned under both state and federal law.
How about cracking down on the criminals who break existing laws? Criminals won’t abide by gun bans and restrictions. They need to face harsher penalties. These new proposals only target responsible gun owners and licensed firearm dealers.
Interestingly, the U.S. Supreme Court already ruled that bans on commonly owned handguns violate the Constitution. These Democrat proposals appear to be a backdoor attempt to sidestep that ruling and further restrict the rights of responsible gun owners who follow the law.