Taxpayers Win Big in Illinois Primary

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140203_berwynflyer-1Chicago—Taxpayers voted ‘NO’ on property tax increases in Tuesday’s primary election, according to Jim Tobin, president of Taxpayers United of America (TUA).
“We soundly beat property tax increase referenda in Berwyn South SD 100, Kane County, Huntley Park District, and the Village of Bull Valley, bringing our total to 203 property tax increase victories since 1977. We also helped taxpayers defeat home rule in Rochester, IL, bringing our home rule victories to 201.”
“Taxpayers sent a clear message that they are fed up with the constant money grab by government bureaucrats. 80% of local taxes fund the huge salaries and benefits of the very bureaucrats who are trying to raise taxes. Taxpayers are tired of taking pay cuts to fund government-employee pay increases.”
“Our political action arm, Tax Accountability, had some significant victories as well. Jim Oberweis’ win in the US Senate primary will square him off against Dick Durbin in November. We are confident that Jim is the candidate to win that race. In his words, ‘I believe that if I win this Senate seat, it means that the Republicans will be taking control of the US Senate and that will change the direction of the country.’”
“With Bruce Rauner winning the Republican gubernatorial race, we can look forward to a solid challenger to Patrick Quinn.”
“This is a pivotal year for Illinois. It’s pretty clear that we need to change things in Springfield quickly. The status quo in Government bureaucrats have bled the state’s taxpayers nearly dry and it is time to set a course of growth and economic freedom. I am confident that we have two of the best candidates to make that happen.”
 

S. Berwyn SD 100 – Biggest Property Tax Increase in Illinois!

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It is unbelievable that the government bureaucrats in South Berwyn’s SD 100 are expecting taxpayers to take another huge pay cut so the government bureaucrats can prop up their bloated salaries and benefits without anything to show for it.
Just one of these two referenda would increase property taxes about $850 a year for an average home valued at $216,200. The second referendum is asking for another $51 million in bond principal only – not including interest.
According to the Cato Institute, government schools outspend private schools by 93%, and yet the outcomes for government school students are abysmal. SD 100 already spends $16,631 per student, higher than the national average of $15,171, which is more than any other country! Throwing more money at the government schools is not the solution. Study after study shows that more is not better when it comes to school spending.
How is it that the people who are educating our kids can’t comprehend that more spending isn’t going to help ‘the children’; it only helps the bloated bureaucracy of government educators and administrators? Either these ‘educators’ are not smart enough or they are deceiving us on what it takes to educate kids.
With Illinois’ property taxes the second highest in the nation, it is unconscionable that we are being asked to pony up more than $1,000 dollars a year in additional property taxes and accept the sub-standard outcomes delivered by this education cabal.
I urge everyone to flood the polls on March 18 between 6 am and 7 pm and vote no for these two property tax increase referenda. You can bet that all of the government employees will be there to vote for your $1,000+ pay cut.
This huge property tax increase will force people out of their homes, and, for what? How about this time around we ask the, ‘oh so caring for the children’ government employees to take the pay cut and really give to our community the way we taxpayers have done for so long?
Jim Tobin
Founder and President of Taxpayers United of America, www.taxpayersunited.org and 30-year resident of Berwyn

9,900 Illinois Government Pensioners With Annual Pension Over $100k

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Chicago—Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today released the results of its annual study of the top government pensions in the State of Illinois.
“Illinois House Speaker, Michael Madigan (D), and Senate Majority Leader, John Cullerton (D), continue their political charade of pension reform while the number of six-figure pensioners grows 47% in one year to 9,900”, according to TUA president, Jim Tobin.
“Illinois is quickly running out of time to deal with the government-created crisis of unfunded pension liabilities. Madigan and Cullerton engage in a carefully choreographed pension reform debate that provides political cover for their allegiance to the union bosses who keep them in power.”
“The reality is that they have crafted legislation packaged as sweeping reform that will do more harm to taxpayers than no reform at all. The Madigan version of pension reform will provide a funding guarantee that places the cost of this elite group of government pensioners squarely on the backs of taxpayers and make these outrageous pensions the first priority of the budget – before any other services or obligations of the state.”
“Real pension reforms were proposed in HB3303 which was introduced by representatives Tom Morrison and Jeanne Ives, but that bill did nothing to help the union bosses maintain favor with their rank and file and was quickly rejected by Boss Madigan.”
“The purpose of our study is to put some perspective around individual pensions, to put them in terms to which the average taxpayer can relate. Illinois taxpayers, whose average household income is $53,234, and struggle with 9.3% unemployment need to know how much Illinois’ government retirees are being paid not to work and the astronomical accumulation of those payments over an average lifetime.”
“We actually expanded our list from the top 100 to the top 200 since there are so many six-figure pensioners now. The top 200 are all over $189,000a year.”
“Still topping our list of Illinois’s government elite in annual payouts is Tapas Das Gupta, retired from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He collected a cool $439,672 in his last annual pension payment and will accumulate a stunning $5.2 million in lifetime pension payments.*”
Beverly Lopatka retired from DuPage Government HSD 88 at the ripe old age of 56 and has an annual pension of $399,652, with a staggering estimated lifetime payout of $11,524,643. Her contribution of the estimated lifetime payout would be only 0.8%.* ”
“The highest lifetime payout estimate goes to Larry K. Fleming, retired from government school district Lincolnshire-Prairie View 103. Having retired at the age of 55 with a cushy annual pension of $258,163, he will accumulate a breathtaking $11,868,155 in pension payments over a normal lifetime.”
View Pension Amounts Below

“Illinois’ financial condition is in the tank. We have the worst credit rating, the highest unfunded pension liabilities and one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. We had a net loss of 74,000 productive, taxpaying residents last year.  What does it take to get serious about pension reform that will solve problems, not create new ones?”
“Without sweeping and immediate reform, Illinois’ government pension system will collapse by 2015. It’s mathematically impossible to tax your way out of this problem. Illinois has more than 9,900 retirees collecting more than $100,000; in 2020, that will be over 25,000 six-figure pensioners. Real pension reform must include raising the retirement age to 67, increasing employee contributions by 10%, increasing healthcare contributions to 50%, eliminating all COLA’s, and replacing the defined benefit system with a defined contribution system for all new hires.”
*Lifetime estimated pension payout includes 3% compounded COLA and assumes life expectancy of 85 (IRS Form 590).