Pritzker visits Rockford to tout budget surplus, tax relief for families
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Gov. JB Pritzker visited the city on Thursday to tout a balanced budget that triples the state’s rainy day fund and provides more than $1 billion in relief from grocery, gas and property taxes.
Pritzker spoke during a news conference from the Discovery Center Museum, 711 N. Main St., flanked by Mayor Tom McNamara, state Rep. Maurice West II, D-Rockford, state Rep. Dave Vella, D-Loves Park, and museum director Sarah Wolf.
Pritzker said the state will end the fiscal year on June 30 with a $1.7 billion budget surplus, the first of its kind in more than 25 years. That surplus allows the state to add to its emergency reserve fund and provide financial relief to taxpayers, he said.
“We’re working to help residents make ends meet when they needed it most,” he said. “Whether it’s supply-chain issues or global oil prices, we can’t pick the ways that the pandemic affects our lives. But what government must do is to soften the impact in the ways that we can.”
Related: Pritzker lifts mask mandate for public places, keeps school restrictions in place
The Illinois Family Relief Plan provides $475 million in property tax rebates with a one-time rebate payment to homeowners of 5% of property taxes paid up to $300 for a state income tax credit.
“It being February, I think it’s fair to say in Rockford our love language is property tax reductions,” McNamara said, noting the city has frozen or reduced its property tax levy for nine years. “I think every Rockfordian will with open arms accept a rebate on our property taxes.”
The plan also calls for $360 million in relief from suspending the state’s 1% tax on groceries and $135 million by halting the planned increase on the motorfuel tax, which Pritzker said will not jeopardize any planned construction projects funded by the tax.
“This is money that really is much needed by families across Illinois and especially as prices are showing to be rising,” Pritzker said.
Related: Rockford gas prices up 13 cents in past week, summer could see ‘record territory’
Part of the reason the state is seeing a surplus is because revenues from corporate taxes, legalized cannabis and online sales taxes exceeded expectations, state officials said.
“For all the naysayers who say we’re just doing this because it’s an election year: We’re doing this because there’s a surplus, we’re doing this because our fiscal health is getting stronger,” West said. “It’s our hope that even after November 2022 we’ll be able to make moves such as this in 2023, 2024 and beyond.”
The state’s gas tax was doubled in 2019 to 38 cents a gallon with automatic increases built in that put the rate now at 39.2 cents. The rate had previously stood at 19 cents for about 30 years. Without the one-year freeze, the tax would have increased to 41.4 cents on July 1. The freeze saves consumers 35 cents when filling a 16-gallon tank, and some have criticized the freeze as doing little to provide financial relief at the pump.
“Remember it’s the fiscal responsibility that legislators and I have demonstrated over the last three years that has allowed us to get to a point where we can even be talking about alleviating taxes for people,” Pritzker said in response to the criticism. “I’m hopeful, as Representative West said, that we’ll be able to do more as we go forward.”
A group of people protesting Pritzker’s continued push for masks in schools gathered outside the Discovery Center before his appearance. The governor said Wednesday that the mask mandate in indoor public spaces would end Feb. 28, but he wants masks to remain in schools.
He defended that decision on Thursday in response to a question about the protestors. He said if another variant is discovered, “We need to quickly mask up and make sure everybody is safe and still going to school.”
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.
