Tax-Hiking Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker Open To A Rain Tax

No stranger to tax hikes, Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker is looking to impose even more egregious costs on working families. In his first year as governor, Pritzker pushed for 19 tax hikes totaling nearly $7 billion, setting the tone for an administration hellbent on paying for his big government agenda out of taxpayers’ pockets.

Now Pritzker is at it again. He’s already thrown his weight behind a plan to scrap Illinois’ flat tax, and has donated $5 million of his own money to support a ballot initiative to implement a $3.4 billion progressive income tax that could cost a typical Illinois family up to $3,500.

But that’s not all! Behind the scenes, Pritzker appears be interested in following in the footsteps of failed New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and former Maryland Governor Martin “Unidentified Man” O’Malley by taxing the rain.

A blistering new report from the University of Chicago characterizes Pritzker’s Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) as, “overworked and understaffed to the point that it is putting residents’ health in danger.” The proposed fix? New fees on plastic bags and bottles and “a statewide stormwater fee” – a.k.a. a rain tax.

True to form, Pritzker’s administration left the door wide open to imposing a rain tax on Illinois citizens. A spokeswoman for the IEPA stated that the agency and Pritzker “have been actively working to…find creative ways to increase revenues.”

“Illinois taxpayers know all too well that when Governor Pritzker gets ‘creative’ with raising revenues, it means more money out of their pockets,” said RGA Communications Director Amelia Chassé Alcivar. “Illinois residents already pay the highest total tax rate in the country, but instead of running an efficient and effective government, Governor Pritzker continues to treat working families and small businesses as his administration’s piggy bank.”