Lake County Gazette

In a recent Facebook post, Illinois state Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) declared his opposition to state Democrats' renewed attempts at tax reform.

"In 2020 the voters of Illinois soundly rejected a Constitutional Amendment request to change Illinois' income tax structure from a flat tax to a progressive tax," Wilcox said in the post. "I guess the Democrats weren't convinced, because there are some who want to bring the proposal back. I will fight this, because my constituents said No, and they meant it."

In 2020, the progressive tax proposal sponsored by state Rep. Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) and promoted by Gov. JB Pritzker was defeated by voters, with 53.3% voting "no," a recent Illinois Policy report said. The proposal aimed to replace the state Constitution's guarantee of a flat tax with a progressive system that taxed higher-income groups at different rates.

Martwick stated that he has not introduced a bill to return the proposal to the ballot, the Illinois Policy report said. But Illinois Senate President Don Harmon's (D-Oak Park) office confirmed that he and Martwick have recently discussed the issue.

“The idea – the policy – is one the Senate president has long supported,” a spokesperson for Harmon said in the report. “At the same time, we all saw the results and the message voters sent.”