Lake County Gazette

Republican House candidate Dan Yost is nearly left speechless by what he sees as the gall of Gov. J.B. Pritzker in continuing to push his progressive tax proposal.

“The hardship on small businesses in Illinois pre-pandemic was reason enough not to vote for the graduated income tax hike,” Yost said. “And now Pritzker still wants us to trust him after all the corruption we have seen this year? Enough is enough. No more tax hikes from leaders who have proven to be untrustworthy and undeserving of ay more tax dollars.”

Pritzker recently shared he’s not worried about the prospect of his so-called “fair tax” taking a hit at the ballot box in November based on news of House Speaker and Democratic Party Chairman Mike Madigan is now being at the center of an ongoing federal corruption probe involving ComEd. While Madigan hasn’t been formally charged with any crimes, the utility giant has already agreed to pay a $200 million fine for its role in a pay-for-play scandal where it’s alleged the company routinely sought to bribe associates close to Madigan in order to curry favor with him.

As the calls for Madigan to step down have swelled, the state’s longest-tenured lawmaker has vowed not to step down.   

Running against incumbent state Rep. Joyce Mason (D-Gurnee) in the 61st District, Yost argues only more harm can come from the latest tax Pritzker is looking to strap to the backs of already overburdened taxpayers.

“This tax is going to make things worse, especially on the heels of shutting down the economy over COVID-19,” he said. “People are fleeing, jobs are disappearing, and politicians seem to be looking for more ways to make Illinois more unaffordable.”