Down to the wire for tax fairness

Update: The deadline to put a "fair tax" constitutional amendment on the November ballot is fast approaching! Call your lawmakers toll-free at (888) 912-5959 or by using our click-to-call tool and urge them to put the amendment on the ballot and move us toward being able to fund our state's priorities!

For years, AFSCME members have seen the devastation caused by broken budgets – layoffs, privatization and harmful cuts to essential public services.

A big reason for those cuts is Illinois’ tax system, which sets a flat income tax rate across the board, meaning a Fortune 500 CEO has the same tax rate as someone making $30,000 a year – and that’s before the CEO takes advantage of numerous tax loopholes that benefit the rich.

The problem is only going to get worse if something isn’t done. The temporary tax increase is set to expire at the end of 2014, costing the state some $5 billion a year and threatening unthinkable further cuts to local governments, education, public safety, human services and jobs.

This is why AFSCME has thrown its full support behind A Better Illinois, a campaign to amend the state constitution to allow the state to set higher income tax rates for those with higher incomes, and lower rates for the middle class and small businesses.

At Council 31’s biennial convention in October, delegates overwhelmingly backed a resolution calling on the union to collect at least 50,000 signatures in support of A Better Illinois. The signatures will be used to put pressure on lawmakers and persuade a super-majority of them to place a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot.

Collecting signatures will also allow the campaign – which has the backing of over 100 organizations – to build a corps of supports who will be able to call, e-mail and personally lobby lawmakers.

Illinois citizens want the right to make this decision for themselves.  A statewide poll found that 92 percent of voters agree that “the tax system in Illinois is broken and needs to be fixed,” 82 percent say that “too often, rich people avoid paying their fair of taxes” and 77 percent support an amendment to allow a fair tax in Illinois.

The proposed amendment must be approved for placement on the November ballot by May of 2014 – time is short, and it’s going to take the involvement of every AFSCME member to ensure a victory.

We have committed to gathering 50,000 petition signatures to demonstrate the deep and broad support of voters from both parties and all across Illinois.  Download copies of A Better Illinois’ flyer and petition. Ask your co-workers, friends and family to sign, too.

You can learn more about A Better Illinois on the web at www.ABetterIllinois.org.