Will County Gazette

Veteran state Rep. Margo McDermed (R-Mokena) is tipping her hat to voters after they saved themselves from Gov. J.B. Prizker’s progressive tax proposal. 

“I’m so proud of them for understanding where this tax would take us, which is picking the pocket of every taxpayer of the state,” McDermed told the Will County Gazette. “I think they were reluctant to trust Springfield with more taxing flexibility. They understood that this amendment would mean giving lawmakers a blank check to tax as they saw fit.”

Given the high stakes, McDermed said she isn’t surprised to see the governor lashing out as he has. In the wake of the measure not netting the 60% approval or majority vote needed for passage, Pritzker has warned “painful” cuts could soon be coming to counterbalance things as he sees fit.

McDermed hopes and expects it will have a different impact.

“I think this is going to focus the Democratic legislature on reform,” she said. “In my six years of being in Springfield, no one has thought one second about reforming anything or any level. Everyone has always seemed to be under the impression we would magically get rid of our problems overnight. Now, we’re in a position where we have to deal with the drivers of our state expenses, which are compounding colas, rising pension costs, Medicaid expenses and having the highest paid state workers in the country.”

McDermed has long been a staunch critic of the plan Pritzker has pushed since his days as a candidate as a tax that would only mean higher rates for the state’s richest residents, arguing that the tax falls far short of what it was being advertised to be.

“There’s absolutely nothing fair about this tax,” she said. “Getting this tax passed is all about fulfilling one of the governor's campaign promises, regardless of the fact that it will do more harm than good, and serving as a springboard to the run for president he plans to make in four years.”