Illinois Policy Institute
Recent News About Illinois Policy Institute
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Illinois residents slammed by sales taxes
Illinois residents are being slammed by ever-rising taxes, from a tax on soda pop in Cook County to a citywide tax increase of 0.5 percent in Danville.
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Illinois may be heading for recession, think tank reports
Illinois lawmakers are considering a multibillion-dollar tax hike that the Illinois Policy Institute says may worsen the state’s already weakened economy.
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Senate's proposed tax increase likely to encourage more out-migration
As state income taxes go up, Illinois’ population continues to drop -- dramatically.
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High property taxes a multilayered problem in Illinois
Property owners in Illinois are the hardest hit in the nation when it comes to taxes. And the property tax burden coupled with falling home values is crippling homeowners and leading many Illinois families to deduce that buying a home in Illinois just isn’t worth it.
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Think tank, state reps propose Budget Solutions 2018 plan to close $7.1 billion deficit
The Illinois Policy Institute is proposing a budget conservative group leaders contend would put an end to the state’s nearly two-year impasse, closing a $7.1 billion deficit without adding any new taxes.
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Protests greet Madigan's controversial re-election as House speaker
In one of the first votes by the newly sworn-in Illinois House, long-serving House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) was re-elected to a 17th term in that seat.
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Critics point out hypocrisy in Madigan attack on Rauner regarding wealth and power
There's a certain hypocrisy to House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) accusing Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner of holding the budget process hostage for his wealthy friends and big business in general, a radio talk show's co-hosts said recently.
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Frustrated Illinois manufacturer flees to Indiana's 'affordable shore' next door
The president of a company that moved from Illinois to Indiana said recently on a Chicago radio talk show that he looks back on Illinois and hopes one day the state will get its act together.
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Analysis: Illinois has nation's steepest 'wealth flight' income differential
After Illinois’ personal income tax was hiked just 2 points — from 3 to 5 percent — in early 2011, a record number of residents packed their bags, revealing what the Illinois Policy Institute termed “wealth flight.”
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Workers' comp reform a top priority for Rauner in 2017
Getting Illinois back on its feet has been a top priority for Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner since he took office two years ago.
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Anti-Madigan rally planned in Springfield
The Illinois Policy Institute has announced an upcoming rally opposing Rep. Mike Madigan's (D-Chicago) re-election as speaker of the House.
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Tribune: Illinois residents aren't frogs, won't remain in Madigan's boiling pot
Invoking an old wives’ tale referring to ambivalent, “average" amphibians, the Chicago Tribune recently created an analogy between disinterested Illinois taxpayers and a hypothetical pot of frog stew to illustrate the state’s simmering fiscal status.
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Analyst: Key to stopping loss of residents, jobs may lie in workers' comp reform
A U.S. Census Bureau report released this week reveals that between July 2015 and July 2016, Illinois lost 114,144 residents -- a net loss of 37,508 when arrivals are factored in -- a record high for the state.
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Rauner implored to take tougher stance in battle with AFSCME
Perhaps one of the most prominent stories in 2016 was Gov. Bruce Rauner’s ongoing battle with Illinois’ largest government-employee union, but how Rauner proceeds in the months to come will be critical, a political analyst said.
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Policy Institute, Madigan camp clash on population loss, business climate
Over 110,000 more people left Illinois in a year than arrived here from other states, leading to the highest overall drop in population in the nation, new figures reveal.
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New House speaker tops Policy Institute writer's holiday wish list
This year’s holiday wish list for Illinois state lawmakers ought to include a new House speaker, an Illinois Policy Institute writer says, as constituents brace themselves for the speaker vote set for Jan. 11 in Springfield.
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Pro-growth reforms called for to stem exodus of millennials
Citing worrisome data that indicates millennials are fleeing the state and taking their families with them, a Chicago-based think tank is urging state lawmakers to pass pro-growth reforms.
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Proposal would replace pensions with 401(k)-style plans for new public hires
With Illinois' state pension liability 17 percent more than it was last year, the vice president of a Chicago-based think tank recently said that 401(k)-style plans for public employees would go a long way toward easing the pension crisis.
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Report: State's pension debt soars 17 percent to $130 billion this year
Already struggling under a multi-tiered fiscal burden, Illinois taxpayers are now confronting incontrovertible evidence of serious fiscal setbacks in their state as a new report revealed staggering amounts of pension debt and escalating red ink.
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Think tank: Further talks between state, AFSCME would be waste of time
The state's largest public employee union is calling for Gov. Bruce Rauner to continue negotiating after talks were declared to be at an impasse earlier this month, but further talks with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) would be pointless, an attorney for a Chicago-based think tank said recently.