Will County Gazette

Tom McCullagh sees Democrats reigniting talk of the progressive tax plan as the height of irresponsibility.

“They know this state is broke, but they don’t want to cut spending, so you talk about doing the one thing that can make the situation even worse,” McCullagh told the Will County Gazette. “Their answer to everything is to raise taxes.”

A few months after voters rejected the tax Gov. J.B. Pritzker and company tried convincing as higher taxes for the rich, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D-Hillside) said that Democrats are talking about reconsidering the failed progressive tax.

This time around, Welch said Democrats are hoping a vow to steer all revenues generated from the tax to the state’s $141 billion pension debt load will make more taxpayers open to the idea.

McCullagh said even if Democrats got what they wanted on the tax front, he doesn’t see how it will make a difference.

“They can have all the taxes they want, and they would still find a way to ask for more,” he said. “Nothing is as they say it is.”

Even now, McCullagh said he thinks Democrats are hoping to catch voters so distracted they don’t realize what’s being proposed.

“I think they’re counting on people being tired and worn down and messaging in all this getting lost in the upcoming governor’s race,” he said. “There should be a law requiring any failed ballot amendment to have go 10-years before it can be reintroduced.”

No matter what, McCullagh said he plans to fight as hard as he ever has to make sure such a tax never becomes a reality.

“It’s not what we need, and people have already shown it’s not what they want,” he said.