A non-partisan government watchdog group is calling for the Illinois General Assembly to reject Governor Pat Quinn's budget proposal.

The Chicago-based Civic Federation says it can't support Governor Quinn's $52.9 billion budget proposal because it raises taxes without fixing some of the state's core problems.

The group says the plan doesn't go far enough to bridge a major budget deficit, despite over a billion dollars in spending cuts.

The Civic Federation doesn't flat-out reject Quinn's proposed income tax hike, but the group says revenue generated by a smaller tax increase could be used to pay down the state's existing pension and healthcare obligations.