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A Fair Tax System Will Help Latinos in Illinois

Working class Illinoisans are struggling. According to the Heartland Alliance, over a third of all Illinoisans live in poverty or are considered low-income. In order to afford a simple one-bedroom apartment, they must work an average of 81 hours per week.

Currently, 20 percent of Latinos in Illinois are living in poverty, so the state’s imbalanced tax system is directly burdensome on them.  

These facts serve as the reason why the Latino Policy Forum is calling on the state Legislature to take action and adopt an amendment that creates a new fair tax. This new system would push our economy in the right direction and make life easier for these hard-working men and women. We have the opportunity to insist that major steps be taken to provide equity for taxpayers in Illinois.

Through the Fair Tax Now campaign -- a statewide, bipartisan effort to put a progressive tax on the ballot in 2018, the Forum is asking Latinos in Illinois to support the fair tax initiative. This will be a departure from the current flat tax system to a graduated or progressive state income tax.

The non-partisan campaign of more than 300 organizations called the Responsible Budget Coalition (RBC), which includes the Forum, is concerned that those with lower incomes spend a greater share of their paycheck on essentials such as food and transportation and less on investments and savings, hence they spend a larger portion of their salaries on state and local taxes.

The fair tax plan under consideration would impact the wealthiest five percent of Illinois taxpayers and ensure that the remaining 95 percent has no increase in their tax rate.

Implementing the fair tax plan will increase revenue to support state priorities, particularly human services (which have been significantly reduced) as well as address the $8 billion backlog of unpaid bills Illinois is facing. Finally, the state would shore up its finances, making it possible to improve services on which many residents rely.

When Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, recently attended the Fair Tax Now rally in downtown Chicago, she stated that organizations providing services to those in need are struggling because the state doesn’t have the money to adequately fund them.

“We went 736 days without a budget – during that period, many of our social service agencies went out of business or shrank,” Preckwinkle said.  “Local units of government are struggling, our institutions of public higher education are struggling, our social services organizations are struggling and it’s all because we don’t have enough money."

“Those who are privileged in this country, in this county, in this state, ought to pay more,” she said.

As a first step, the Legislature must put a constitutional amendment on the November Election ballot allowing residents to vote for a fair tax system. According to the RBC, the support is already there, with 72 percent of Illinois voters stating their support for a new tax structure.

We have little time to waste and need your help now!

Here are some ways to help make the fair tax a reality:

Sign on to the Latino Policy Forum Fair Tax Statement by emailing info@latinopolicyforum.org and telling us to include your organization's name on this statement. 

Call your elected officials: Make your voice heard by calling your elected officials to express your support.

Learn More! Join the RBC  statewide webinar on Friday, April 6th at 9:00am to get guidance on talking about a Fair Tax, campaign updates, and plug into action!

Hold an event: Host a rally, town hall meeting, local coffee or conversation for Fair Tax Now.

Need help planning?

The Responsible Budget Coalition and the Fair Tax Now team can provide designs for palm cards, fact sheets, posters, and other materials to use at your event.

Phone bank or knock on doors: Talk to your neighbors about the campaign and why the new structure would be good for both them and Illinois. 

Spread the word on social media: Share facts about the campaign on your Twitter and Facebook pages. Invite your friends to also follow the Responsible Budget Coalition’s Twitter and Facebook pages to receive updates.

Sign up to receive campaign updates: As the campaign progresses, we’ll be emailing out action alerts and updates to our supporters. Make sure to sign up to get the latest on Fair Tax Now.

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