Quinn’s plan will fail without school funding reform.
Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, says:
The structural problems Quinn is attacking have plagued Illinois for generations. Sure, the current recession has exacerbated things, but Illinois’ revenue system is not designed to work in a modern economy. To fix things sustainably, the state must adjust both the income and sales taxes. Illinois cannot balance its books or eliminate its unfunded pension liability without expanding its sales tax base to include consumer services. All of our neighboring states have already done this to some extent, but it’s absent from Quinn’s proposal.
As laudable as Quinn’s approach is, it will not generate enough political support to pass unless it ultimately solves these long-term problems, and delivers education funding reform and a capital plan.
