Whitney: Fair Taxes For All

Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney called today for fair taxation in Illinois.

"Pat Quinn, Bill Brady and Scott Lee Cohen all refuse to say exactly how they would deal with the burning issue of the budget crisis and taxation until after the election," said Whitney. "This is disrespectful, if not insulting, to Illinois voters. How can voters make an informed choice when they are ducking the issue? In contrast, I provide voters with a clear and detailed road map for solving the crisis, attacking both the spending and the revenue side of the equation."

Whitney added that "the issue is not whether we need an income tax increase; the issue is how we make our tax system fairer. The tax burden needs to be shifted to those most able to pay.

"Our state government today is failing to perform its most essential functions adequately: public safety, education, health care for those most in need, and services for the disabled, the mentally ill, children, the elderly, veterans, and preservation and protection of the environment. It is clear that Bill Brady's 'Just Say No' campaign and Pat Quinn's slow muddle-through to oblivion are not the answers."

Whitney supports measures like SB 750, which would raise the individual rate to 5 percent and the corporate rate to 8 percent - but would protect the bottom 60 percent of income earners from actually paying the higher tax. It would also fund education more through the state rather than local property taxes - and provide badly needed property tax relief.

"Illinois can continue to sink into a sea of red ink or it can sail toward the safe harbor of responsible budgeting and effective, responsive government. I am giving Illinois voters a clear choice," Whitney concluded.

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Rich Whitney is a 55-year-old civil rights and employment lawyer from Carbondale. As a lawyer, he has fought for working people who have lost their jobs or had their rights violated. A founder of the Illinois Green Party, he has long been politically active in support of the labor, health-care reform, environmental, civil rights, and peace movements. In 2006, he served as the Green Party's first candidate for Governor, winning over 360,000 votes and making it possible for Illinois voters to have a third choice on the ballot statewide.

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