Citizens Join Across Counties To Send A Message About Taxes

By on August 19, 2016   /   Illinois, Latest, Taxpayer Alert  

WOODSTOCK, IL – A small, but growing group of local citizens have joined forces to send a message to legislators and local officials about their taxes. The message is simple, “We can’t pay any more taxes than we already are and if you don’t do something serious to improve the situation, you will lose our votes.”
The movement grew out of a protest in McHenry County on June 13th where two people paid their taxes entirely in singles while a group of others gathered to voice their disgust about property taxes. The group has taken the name “Illinois Tax Revolution – Saving Illinois” and is organizing taxpayer rallies. So far, there are three rallies planned; one in McHenry County, another in Lake County and a third in downtown Chicago.
The group has drawn support from a growing number of activist organizations and local office candidates and encourages others to contact the organization to show their support.
“This is all about giving the overburdened taxpayer an opportunity to have their voices heard”, said Bob Anderson, Chairman of the Group’s Steering Committee.
“We hope that taxpayers and local officials will join us at the rallies in a gesture of solidarity and commitment to addressing the crippling problem of taxes in our communities,” said Bob. For those that cannot attend in person, the group offers “One-Page Petitions” that individuals can fill out and send back to the group. These will be brought to the rallies to represent those who cannot make it to the events.

https://www.taxpayersunitedofamerica.org/event/fall-tax-protest-lake-county
https://www.taxpayersunitedofamerica.org/event/fall-tax-protest-mchenry-county
https://www.taxpayersunitedofamerica.org/event/the-walk-on-chicago/

About Illinois Tax Revolution

Saving Illinois

Born out of the devastating impact of taxes in this area, a small group organized to give a voice and a focal point to burdened taxpayers. Led by a small Steering Committee consisting of Bob Anderson, Dan Aylward, Steve Rooney, Joe Tirio and Rose Venegas, the group sought ways to help every taxpayer communicate with their community leaders on the subject of taxes and the impact on their lives.
Please direct press inquiries to:
Bob Anderson
(815) 653-7699 or (815) 653-9865
team@illinoistaxrevolution.com
IllinoisTaxRevolution.com

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Former Gov. James R. Thompson Lives Lavishly as Social Security Recipients Struggle

By on June 30, 2016   /   Illinois, Latest, Taxpayer Alert  

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CHICAGO—Former Illinois Governor James R. Thompson, who in 1983 and 1989 engineered raising Illinois’ state personal and corporate income tax rates by 20 percent, will receive a generous increase to his lavish, gold-plated state pension on July 1, 2016, while Illinois residents on Social Security government pensions will see negligible increases to their own benefits next year.
Thompson’s annual pension as of 2016 is $147,477. On July 1, his annual cost-of-living increase of 3% will boost his annual government pension by $4,424.
Compare those figures to Social Security recipients, whose cost-of-living increase of two-tenths of one percent for 2017 was just recently announced. For those receiving a Social Security pension of $1,000 a month, that cost-of-living increase amounts to only $24 annually, or nearly one-hundred eight-five times less than that of Thompson.
“It is obscene that tax-raiser Thompson is pulling in millions of dollars from the essentially bankrupt state pension fund, while retirees on Social Security pensions, whose earnings were taxed to prop-up his state pension fund, must get by with an increase of $2 or $3 a month in 2017,” said Jim Tobin, President of Taxpayers United of America (TUA).
Under Thompson, the state personal income tax was raised from 2.5% to 3%, and the state corporate income tax to 7.3%, including the 2.5% personal property replacement-tax surcharge.
“This is an example of how corrupt the Illinois government is and has always been,” said Tobin. “Thompson, who retired at age 55, and who has contributed only $84,996 to his pension plan, already has collected $2.5 million to date, and his estimated lifetime pension payout is $3.38 million. He should be ashamed, Social Security pensioners and taxpayers alike should demand immediate reform.”
To understand the tax burden Illinois taxpayers face due to unfunded government pension liabilities, see TUA’s 10th Annual Illinois State Pensions Report.

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10th Annual Illinois State Pensions Report

By on June 23, 2016   /   Illinois, Latest, Taxpayer Alert  

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View the Grids
CHICAGO—Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today released the results of their 10th Annual Illinois State Pensions Report, which analyzes Illinois’ General Assembly Retirement System (GARS), Judges’ Retirement System (JRS), Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), State Universities Retirement System (SURS), State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS), and the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF).
Click to view TUA’s 10th Annual Illinois State Pensions Report
This new report examines Illinois’ government-pension troubles since 1989, providing background information outlining the poor policies and political blunders that produced the state’s ongoing fiscal fiasco. Included in the analysis is a case study of the Top 40 Pensioners from 2006–2016, based on estimated lifetime pension payouts.  Surveying the growth of these pensions over the past decade provides a snapshot of the financial burdens Illinois taxpayers face, illustrating the extent of the unfunded liabilities accrued and the cost of not implementing reform.
TUA’s 10th Annual Report also expands the annual list of top government pensions, this year revealing updated data for the Top 400 Illinois Pensioners of 2016, who will collectively receive $91.5 million in pension payouts this year alone.
“Nearly seventy-five percent of these top government pensioners are collecting more than $200,000 a year in taxpayer-funded pensions,” said TUA’s executive director, Jared Labell. “These government pensions accumulate to multi-million dollar payouts over a natural lifetime, and for many government retirees, they will collect more than their total contributions to their pension fund while employed within two years of retirement.”
TUA’s analysis of Illinois’ government pensions, based on data collected through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, shows that there are now 15,661 state pensioners collecting more than $100,000 annually and 92,386 state pensioners collecting more than $50,000 annually in Illinois.
“Taxpayers should not be expected to suffer under devastating income tax hikes and skyrocketing property taxes while continuing to fund an insolvent government pension system resistant to reform,” said Labell.
“Illinois’ government-employee pensions are unsustainable. The Illinois Constitution’s pension-protection clause – Article XIII, Section 5 – unfairly chains generations of taxpayers to an uncontrolled financial burden created by the disastrous decisions of politicians in Springfield,” said Labell.
“Taxpayers in Illinois are nearing a tipping point. The Illinois General Assembly continues to fail to pass a balanced budget and correct decades of financial mismanagement. As the tax burden weighs heavier upon residents, a growing number of taxpayers are talking about tax protests and tax strikes, and rightfully so,” said Labell. “Taxes are revolting, so why aren’t you?”

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