Will County Gazette

Republican Congressional candidate Mike Fricilone fumes at the way he thinks Gov. J.B. Pritzker is willing to resort to any measure to get the things that he wants in Springfield.

“This fair tax he’s pushing is in no way what he says it is and yet he’s asking us to change the state constitution so he can be able to force it on us,” Fricilone told the Will County Gazette. “Besides being a blank check for Springfield, it would allow them to tax retirement income and raise tax rates anytime they see fit. By using the word ‘fair,’ it’s making people believe this will only hit the rich and that can’t be further from the truth.”

Running against Democrat Marie Newman in the 3rd Congressional District, Fricilone said it’s easy to see why the governor is going all out to get the proposal he’s been pushing since his days as a candidate across the finish line, including pumping more than $51 million of his own money into a campaign to boast the measure.

“The governor is motivated to see this happen so he can make good on all the things he’s promised and now knows he can’t afford,” Fricilone added. “He feels he needs another revenue stream.”

Voters will finally have their say in November, when it appears on the ballot in the form of a constitutional amendment. Approval from 60% of those who vote on the issue or a majority of those who vote in the election overall is needed for passage.

Should the tax pass, Fricilone said he has a dreaded idea of what it could look like.

“It’ll have the same impact it’s had in Connecticut,” he said. “There, it took only a year before the people found out what it really opens the door to and they were raising everyone’s taxes. It will only make more people leave Illinois. Think about it. If it’s as good as the governor says it is, why does he have to spend more than $50 million to get it passed?”