Wilhour Supports Supermajority Requirement to Raise Income Taxes

(ST. REP. BLAINE WILHOUR {left} LOOKS ON AS ST. REP. TOM MORRISON SPEAKS REGARDING SUPPORT FOR SUPERMAJORITY APPROVAL OF ANY FUTURE INCREASE IN INCOME TAXES IN ILLINOIS. AREA ST. REP. CHRIS MILLER IS TO MORRISON'S LEFT)

Local State Representative Blaine Wilhour says he is co-sponsoring House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 34 that requires a supermajority in the legislature to raise income taxes in Illinois.

The amendment would require two-thirds approval in each chamber for lawmakers to levy any future income tax increases.

The Beecher City Republican is a member of the Illinois House Personnel and Pensions Committee. He said, "In Illinois, raising taxes has been the knee-jerk reaction to every tough fiscal issue to the point that we now have the highest combined state and local taxes in the nation. Enough is enough."

Wilhour is an opponent of Governor Pritzker's graduated income tax proposal and is seeking a provision to prevent changing rates, which is not guaranteed in the Governor's proposal.

Wilhour said Democrats have proposed a tax schedule that they say increases taxes only on very high income earners, but he said that schedule is not guaranteed to remain.

While a supermajority is required to change the Illinois Constitution to allow for a graduated tax structure, Wilhour said only a simple majority of lawmakers have to agree to expand the tax schedule later.