CHICAGO—”The one-dollar-a-pack cigarette tax increase passed by the Illinois Executive Committee Wednesday, S.B. 6, more than doubles the current state tax to $1.98 a pack and falls most heavily on low-income and minority residents of Illinois,” said Jim Tobin, President of National Taxpayers United of Illinois (NTUI). “In combination with the astronomical price of gas, locally owned gas stations along the state line will face a devastating loss of business with this cigarette tax increase.”
“High taxes on items such as cigarettes encourage people to shop across state lines where taxes are lower,” said Tobin, “placing Illinois at a competitive disadvantage to the surrounding states of Missouri ($ .17 tax), Kentucky ($.60), Indiana ($ .99), and Iowa ($1.36).”
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A study by Shawano County Taxpayers of public school salaries and benefits in Shawano County, Wisconsin, reveals that Shawano County has a 11.5% unemployment rate with an average full time wage of $28,142 per year, but that in Shawano School District, every public school teacher makes more than the average Shawano county worker, and the ‘Top 20’ teachers make more than twice as much.
Shawano County needs to have public school teacher and administrator salaries reflect wages local taxpayers earn. How can the average worker making $28,000 afford the property, income, sales and utility taxes needed to support high teacher salaries and outrageous pensions? Public salaries, pensions and benefits need to be brought back to earth. There is a huge disconnect between public employees’ compensation and the everyday private sector worker who pays the taxes to enrich these government employees.
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MADISON, WI – Republican State Senator Dale Schultz doesn’t get it. On Sunday night, the Wisconsin politician said he would vote against Governor Walker’s proposal to limit the damage done by public sector unions against the people of Wisconsin.
Schultz has said he wants limits on collective bargaining to expire in 2013. It’s clear that he withdrew because he fails to understand the point of Walker’s bill. The only reason the unions are offering to make any sacrifices is that they don’t have the power right now. They hope that in 2013, they will be able to again hold the people of Wisconsin hostage, through campaign contributions forcibly taken from the paychecks of the union rank and file. Walker’s proposal would also end the practice of automatic union deductions from workers’ paychecks, a victory for workers’ rights.
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