Lake County Gazette

Republican state House candidate Chris Bos fumes the progressive tax plan pushed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker only guarantees more financial mismanagement for the cash-strapped state.

“With the way businesses are already struggling, I think it would be a complete travesty,” Bos told the Lake County Gazette. “You’ve got all the tight regulations, red tape and growing tax burden. What we need is real reform. There’s a reason why we’re worse off today than we have been even though we’re making money.”

Running against incumbent state Rep. Mary Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville) in the 51st District, Bos warns the tax the governor has been peddling since his days on the campaign trial only assures more of the same.

A new report by the Tax Foundation details how the state’s competitive position would dramatically fall if the progressive tax proposal Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been pushing since his days as a candidate becomes law. If the measure passes, researchers report Illinois’ overall ranking would tumble all the way down to 47th in the U.S. for business competitiveness, ahead of only New Jersey, California and New York.

“We need to be putting in a balanced, fair and equitable system,” Bos added. “That’s how you move forward on a path of insolubility.”

Bos said he finds it reprehensible that legislators in Springfield would have the gall to be asking taxpayers for more.

“They’ve yet to fulfill their promise of duty on any level,” he said. “So, to now be moving to give them carte blanche to tax with this progressive tax makes no sense. How can we trust the system to just operate now when it’s been broken for all these years?”

Finally, Bos argues the proposed tax couldn’t be coming at a worse time for the already struggling state economy.

“This tax is made even more dangerous when you think about COVID and all the added debt it’s led to for the state,” he said. “In the end, the progressive tax is just more smoke and mirrors and part of a plan to gain control of more of our hard-earned money.”