Column: Record budget continues Democrats' tax-and-spend spree

Chicago Tribune

04-06-2025

If Illinois smokers needed a reason to quit the evils of tobacco, the legislature's hike in the state's tax on cigarettes has been handed to them. Or it gives them a chance to visit Kentucky and Indiana to stock up on their smoking supplies.
The tax increase on anything with tobacco — cigarettes, cigars, vaping devices, snuff, chewing tobacco — is part of the rushed budget the Democratic-controlled legislature adopted last week. The jump in the tobacco tax from 36% to 45% for cigarettes, and 15% for vaping products, takes effect July 1, when the state's fiscal year begins.
Taxing the shrinking number of state smokers — revenue officials expect to raise $50 million — is one easy way to fund the largest budget in Illinois history. Current state tax on a pack of smokes is $1.98, and the current cost averages $7.56 per pack, according to the 'Sales Tax Handbook.'
Another taxing target is gambling now that most of the Land of Lincoln is replete with gaming devices and casinos. To that end, the budget bill creates a tax of 25 cents per wager for a sports betting licensee's first 20,000 wagers accepted, and 50 cents per wager above that. That is expected to generate $36 million in the new fiscal year.
There are other increased taxes, $1 billion worth, in the $55.2 billion spending plan, which totals 3,000 pages. Wonder how many Lake County lawmakers actually read this document that received little public review and was hastily adopted in the last 48 hours of the session?
But lawmakers did read enough of the document to increase their salaries, sending their pay to nearly $100,000 a year for what is supposed to be a part-time job. State legislators who happen to be lawyers also got an added perk thanks to the Illinois Supreme Court: They can collect credits for continuing education classes just by attending legislative events.
Yet, Illinois property owners again did not receive property tax relief, while lawmakers kicked the can down the road when it came to funding regional mass transit, while including $8.2 billion in new spending on infrastructure projects.
Regional Transportation Authority officials claim they need a $770 million funding injection or cuts are coming at the CTA, Metra and Pace. Legislators also failed a push for more renewable energy sources, like solar and wind. In the power department, Illinoisans served by ComEd will see a nearly 11% increase on their utility bills come July 1.
Democrats seem overjoyed with the allegedly balanced budget bill, which is nearly 4% more than the current year's. However, it appears to be stuffed with spending that the state can't afford.
One estimate is that since Gov. JB Pritzker took office in 2019, Democrats have jacked up state spending by $15 billion. That totals about $1,170 more per resident every year. Something to remember next April 15.
Three Lake County Democratic state senators — Julie Morrison of Lake Forest, Mary Edley Allen of Libertyville and Adriane Johnson of Buffalo Grove — voted for the budget bills. Their Democratic counterparts in the Illinois House — Rita Mayfield of Gurnee, Laura Faver Dias of Grayslake, Bob Morgan of Deerfield, Daniel Didech of Buffalo Grove and Nabella Syed of Palatine — also were all in on the whopping budget bill. Legislative Republicans voted against the measure.
Their excuse for having to vote in favor of the budget, they maintain, is because of President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. Pritzker, too, blamed the president, pointing to Trump's tariff policies.
'In a year where limited revenue and shifting federal support presented real challenges, we passed a budget that aligns with our core values and the needs of Illinois families,' Morrison commented in a statement after her vote.
'At a time when chaos from the federal administration is causing uncertainty and fear within our communities, Illinois presented a compassionate budget that reflects our priorities and values, including supporting the working middle class and those seeking quality education,' Edley Allen said in a statement, echoing other county lawmakers' stances.
Didn't hear of any sightings of President Trump or his minions in Springfield last week, twisting arms to vote for the bloated state budget. Lawmakers can try to blame an obvious scapegoat.
They are accountable only to themselves for their votes for a record Illinois budget.