TUA Goes Into The Belly Of The Beast To Name Taxpayer Traitor Mike Unes

https://youtu.be/mMdGw_Q_Nto

TUA Goes Into The Belly Of The Beast To Name Taxpayer Traitors Unes And Hammond

 

James Tobin |  President

(312) 427-5128 | (773) 354-2076

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 30, 2017

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Taxpayers United of America (TUA) sent its Director of Outreach, Val Zimnicki, into the districts of “Taxpayer Traitors” St. Rep. Michael D. Unes (R-91, Pekin) and St. Rep. Norine K. Hammond (R-93, Macomb), to alert their constituents that these two reps joined ten other Springfield Republican lawmakers in voting Yes to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of the huge, 32% Democrat-sponsored state personal income tax increase.

Zimnicki and local taxpayers handed out “wanted” fliers of the taxpayer traitors, showing their mugs behind bars, where some feel they belong. They informed voters that most of the $5 billion from this latest income tax increase will be funneled into the state’s floundering government-employee pension funds, just like previous tax increases, feeding the lavish, gold-plated pensions of these retired government employees.
“These Taxpayer Traitors made possible the largest permanent income tax hike in the state’s history, increasing the personal income tax rate to 4.95 percent from 3.75 percent, and the corporate income tax rate from 7.75 percent to 9.5 percent,” said Zimnicki.
“Elected officials who support tax increases should be thrown from office,” said Zimnicki. “The State of Illinois is in a financial death-spiral thanks to these Republican-In-Name-Only politicians, who joined forces with Chicago machine boss and Ill. House Speaker Michael Madigan in passing these back-breaking tax increases.”

Cook County Gov Retirees’ Millionaire’s Club

Cook County Gov. Retirees’ Millionaire’s Club

Val Zimnicki (312)-427-5128 – (312) 307-4415

November 28, 2017

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Chicago – Taxpayers United of America (TUA) has released its most recent government pension study exposing individual pensions for Cook County government retirees.
“One look at these excessive pensions tells you why Cook County is in dire financial straits. Government bureaucrats have created a tight little millionaires’ club of their own,” stated TUA’s director of outreach, Val Zimnicki.
There are nearly 500 area Cook County government retirees collecting annual pensions of at least $100,000. The median family income is only $56,851 and 16.1% of residents live below the poverty level.
“That puts a $1,374 liability on every man, woman and child in Cook County.  Add to that the per capita liability from the 5 state pension funds of $19,607, and every Cook County resident is on the hook for $20,981,” stated Zimnicki. Moody’s Investor Service puts Illinois’ state pension fund liability at $251 billion.
As of December 31, 2016, the Cook County Pension Fund (CCPF) has a stunning $7.2 billion unfunded liability. That means the CCPF is only 56.7% fundedA healthy pension fund has at least an 80% funding ratio, although the American Academy of Actuaries argues that pension funds should be 100% funded.
“On average, these government pensioners who collect more than the median household income for Cook County, contribute only about 7.5% to their own retirement fund. In the private sector, employees pay 15% of every dollar they earn into Social Security for an average pension of only $15,000!”
“Cook County government bureaucrats are desperate to steal even more tax money from hard working taxpayers, so desperate in fact that Cook County Board president, Toni Preckwinkle imposed a tax on sweetened beverages that hit the low and middle income earners the hardest!”
“The tax, which TUA opposed, was a $200 million tax increase on county taxpayers, which would have gone into the lavish, gold-plated pensions of retired county-government employees.”
But the Cook County Board was forced to repeal the tax when angry citizens testified at the County Board Hearing. TUA’s own, Val Zimnicki was one of many who testified on behalf of taxpayers at that hearing. “Preckwinkle and one other board member voted to keep the beverage tax. She should be thrown from office.”
“It’s so hypocritical of Cook County Democrats to preach about tax reform that protects the middle-class when they bombard the working class with new and higher taxes on services and products most used by this group of taxpayers,” added Zimnicki.
“If there’s any justice, the pending lawsuit, Bargo v Rauner et al, will break the Constitutional protection of the government employees. This protection creates a special class of citizens that directly violates the Illinois Constitution.”
“Just look at what some of these retired government bureaucrats are raking in from taxpayer funded pensions.
Hernan M. Reyes collects an annual pension of $359,613. Assuming he leads a normal life of 85 years, that annual pension will accumulate to $5,846,235. That multi-million dollar payout only cost him $329,637!
Then there’s Subhash Patel. Collecting a current annual pension of $217,045 will provide an outrageous estimated lifetime payout of $7,887,410. Keep in mind that retirement came at only 59 years of age! “Click below to view the top 200 pensions for Cook County Retirees:

“Overpromising benefits to government employees is pervasive throughout Illinois. Without regard to the taxpayers who must fund these excessive pensions, these bureaucrats just keep increasing salaries and benefits, burying the rest of us in debt.”
“The worst part of this financial nightmare is that no steps have been taken to correct the course of Illinois’ fiscal demise. We have proposed solutions that could have an immediate affect on the problem: Immediately place all new hires into 401(k) style retirement savings accounts, increase member contributions to their retirement fund, increase retirement age for full benefits, and increase member contributions to 50% of health care premiums. Anything short of these reforms will do nothing to permanently solve the problem. If it takes a Constitutional Amendment to revise government-employee pension benefits, then we need to get that on the ballot as soon as possible,” concluded Zimnicki.

TAX SURVEY OF GOV. RAUNER AND THE 99TH ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY RELEASED

James Tobin |  President

(312) 427-5128 | (773) 354-2076

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 15, 2017

TAX SURVEY OF GOV. RAUNER AND

THE 99TH ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY RELEASED

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CHICAGO—Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today released its 17th biennial Tax Survey of the Ill. General Assembly.
Click here for exclusive access to our 17th biennial Tax Survey
“Our survey examines the tax and spending bills of the 99th Illinois legislature from January 2015 to January 2017,” said Jim Tobin, TUA President. “Our analysis provides data on how the legislators voted on bills featured in our tax survey. For 41 years, TUA has educated taxpayers while publicizing all significant tax and spending increases voted on by the Illinois General Assembly. TUA has used the same methodology to evaluate each lawmaker’s record since publishing its first Tax Survey in 1983.”
“The 99th General Assembly has been a huge disappointment in the Ill. Senate,” said Tobin. “Not a single member of the Senate – no Republican or Democrat – received a passing score of 70% or more on this Tax Survey. The Republicans scored better in both chambers with average scores of 41% in the Senate and 66% in the House, whereas the Democrats achieved only 4% in the House – and only 1% in the Senate!  That brings the total number of Democrats that scored zero to 91.”
“Some turncoat Republicans in the Illinois house voted for the record-breaking state income tax increase in the 100th General Assembly. Republican House members who voted for this job-killing measure could not be counted among ‘Taxpayer Friends,’ regardless of their score in this edition of the TUA Tax Survey.”
“Notably, Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) outclassed his predecessor, disgraced former Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who received a sorry 10% on TUA’s 16th biennial Tax Survey. Gov. Rauner is the first Illinois Governor to score above 70% on the TUA tax survey, achieving a score of 92%, and we are pleased to feature him on the list of Taxpayer Friends.”