Lake County Gazette

State Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington Hills) leaves little to the imagination when it comes to articulating his position on the governor's so-called fair tax.

“I’m voting 'Hell no' on billionaire Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s progressive income tax hike,” McSweeney said. “We need to cut taxes for Illinois families, not raise them.”

Long a critic of the plan he sees as just another money grab, McSweeney recently received some unexpected assistance in his fight against the tax when Jennifer Pritzker, cousin of the governor, donated $500,000 to the Coalition to Stop the Proposed Tax Hike Amendment campaign aimed at stopping the proposal the governor has been pushing since his days as a candidate in its tracks.

Despite the governor continuing to insist the measure will only mean higher rates for the state’s richest residents, McSweeney isn’t buying it.

“The progressive income tax hike would eventually devastate Illinois’ middle class,” he said. “This is unacceptable. Illinois residents already have the highest tax burden of any state.”

Voters finally get their chance to have their voices heard early next month, when the measure is slated to appear on the Nov. 3 ballot in the form of a referendum question. Also known as the fair tax, the proposal requires 60% of people voting on the amendment or a majority of all voters, including those who skip the question on their ballots, for passage.

Meanwhile, Pritzker is pulling out all the stops to get the measure over the finish line, recently pumping some $56.5 million to the Vote Yes for Fairness political committee advocating for its passage.

Both the governor and his cousin are heirs to the vast Hyatt Hotel fortune, with the family being considered one of the wealthiest in the world by Forbes.