Kane County Reporter

Former Republican state Senate candidate Ben Bierly is warning Illinois taxpayers that even with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s progressive tax plan having been soundly rejected, it’s no time for them to exhale.

“It’s definitely a good day to see this tax defeated, but I’m worried that the governor is already talking about raising taxes in other areas,” Bierly told the Kane County Reporter. “This is only a step forward in getting our runaway taxes in order.”

Voters rejected the tax the governor has insisted since his days on the campaign trial would only mean higher rates for the state’s most affluent residents and spent upwards of $50 million of his own money on to further sway them. With the measure falling far short of the 60% support it needed from voters for passage, Bierly said he isn’t surprised to see an agitated Pritzker now lashing out at every turn, threatening everything from across-the-board tax hikes to “painful” budget cuts to counterbalance things as he sees fit.

“He needs to stop blaming the problem on other issues and take responsibility for all the spending,” Bierly said. “Hopefully, we’ll start to see a real shift in that direction.”

Bierly, who dropped his race to Democrat John Connor in the 43rd District with 36% of the vote, said it should come as no surprise that voters came together to topple the governor’s progressive tax plan.

“I don’t think people believed his story about the tax only having an impact on the rich,” he said. “I think people realized this would hamper small business owners and thereby their own interests. They just didn’t believe what the governor was selling. People looked at it as a false promise, especially given all the changes made before that also promised good things where in the end nothing came of it.”