VICTORY!

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Chicago–In an historic victory for taxpayers, Ill. Gov. Pritzker’s income theft amendment, the proposed change in the Illinois Constitution to usher in a graduated income tax, was defeated. “Every taxpayer victory is important for Illinoisans, but of all our victories, this one was the biggest,” said Jim Tobin, president of Taxpayers United of America (TUA).

“Unlike what Pritzker thought, taxpayers are not stupid, and neither are they gullible. Illinoisans pay some of the highest taxes in the United States, and we’ve already seen several massive tax increases from Pritzker over the past few years. Taxpayers have had enough, and the repudiation of Pritzker’s money grab is evidence of that.” 

“If governor Pritzker, Speaker Madigan, and all of their cronies still want to hold office after this election, they must add a word to their dictionary: REFORM. Instead of lying to taxpayers with their endless empty promises, they need to roll up their sleeves for the first time in their lives and fix Illinois.” 

“How would they fix Illinois? Simple: reform the Illinois government pension system that has destroyed so many communities across Illinois. It can be done with a simple constitutional amendment to allow the state government-employee pension plans to be restructured for the benefit of everyone. I call it the Fair Pension Amendment.” 

“In addition to the rejection of the income theft amendment, taxpayers also rejected Home Rule in Crestwood. Home Rule is also a Trojan-horse tax increase like the income theft amendment. History has shown that Illinois taxpayers, when able to participate in direct democracy, will always reject higher taxes. The two referenda wins together make 439 taxpayer victories for TUA, and prove that petty tyrants like Pritzker can not increase state taxes if Illinois citizens make their wishes known at the polls.”

Reminder: vote NO by Tomorrow!

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Tomorrow is officially election day, and is the last chance to tell Illinois Governor “J.B.” Pritzker and House speaker Mike Madigan that enough is enough. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, November 3rd. If you see a long winded, craftily worded amendment on the Illinois ballot relating to income taxes designed to fool you, VOTE NO. A vote NO is a vote against even higher income taxes to subsidize lavish retired government employee pensions. Additionally, if you are a Crestwood resident and you see a ballot measure asking to vote on Home Rule, also vote NO. Home Rule is Home Ruin, designed to give local bureaucrats UNLIMITED taxing power over you without referendum. Vote NO to retain your right to vote on property tax increases!
Click here to view vote no Income Theft Amendment flier
Click here to view vote no Home Rule Crestwood flier
The fate of Illinois hangs in the balance on election day. Today is the day to save our state! 

Northbrook’s Massive Government Employee Pensions

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Northbrook, IL – Government teacher salaries and pensions are too rich for even the wealthiest taxpayers, according to Illinois’ most tenured tax fighter, and president and founder of Taxpayers United of America (TUA), Jim Tobin.

“Glenbrook HSD 225 is a prime example of bloated government teacher pensions. All of the top 200 pensions for this district are more than $115,000 a year while the average per capita income in Northbrook is only $67,306. On average, teachers are employed only about 27 years before they are eligible to retire and collect full pensions. And it’s not like they have to work into their golden years to qualify. The average age of an Illinois teacher at retirement is only 57!”

“The TRS is only about 50% funded, and this is what the proposed Pritzker income-theft amendment is all about. Today’s tax revenue, as massive as it is, is paying for the education of yesterday’s students in the form of pensions. In his infinite wisdom, Gov. Jay Robert ‘J. B.’ Pritzker has placed a constitutional amendment to restructure Illinois’ flat rate income tax to a graduated income tax. This graduated tax will decimate the middle-class and will eliminate the income-tax protection of retirement pay in the current constitution.”

“Between the mass exodus of Illinois residents to more tax friendly states and the huge loss of jobs and income from the Pritzker’s unconstitutional lockdown that’s just been reinstated, Illinois’ middle-class will virtually disappear.”

“Here a just a few of the bloated government teacher pensions in Glenbrook HSD 225:

Jean B. McGrew retired from HSD 225. Her current annual pension is $259,090. With the 3% compounded COLA, she will receive about $4,088,668 over a normal lifetime. Her personal investment in that stunning payout is only about 5%.

Michael D. Riggle, who administered over the school’s largest scandal regarding hazing, has a current annual pension of $195,113. He will collect about $6,479,384 in estimated lifetime pension payments.

Click here to view top Glenbrook (Northfield TWP) HSD 225  

                                                    

“Illinois government employees are only employed for about 20.1 years on average in order to collect these unrealistic pensions. And for every dollar they deposit in their own pension fund, taxpayers are forced to fork over $4.74. Add to that a 3% COLA, compounded for all but IMRF, and it doesn’t take a genius to understand why Illinois’ government pensions are insolvent.”

“Rather than put an income theft amendment on the ballot, Pritzker should have pushed for a pension reform amendment because these outrageous pensions are protected by the state constitution. Enough is enough,” said Tobin.