Illinois Comptroller and now gubernatorial candidate Dan Hynes says tax hikes are necessary to fill the state’s staggering budget deficits. But he says his plan is more fair than the one pushed by his rival in next year’s Democratic primary, incumbent Governor Pat Quinn. Hynes wants to raise the income tax rate for families making more than $200,000 per year. That change would require an amendment to the state’s constitution.HYNES: I think the legislature and the people of Illinois, who are going to be the ultimate decision makers, when given a choice, between a harshly regressive tax of Pat Quinn’s, and a progressive tax by Dan Hynes, they’re going to choose a progressive tax to help us out of this fiscal crisis.Quinn fired back, saying Hynes is late-to-the-game when it comes to reforming the state’s tax code. He also accuses Hynes of being absent during the budget debate earlier this year in Springfield.
Republican candidates for governor, meanwhile, took advantage of Quinn and Hynes sparring over their tax plans. In a statement, State Senator Bill Brady called Hynes “just another Chicago area politician looking to tax our vulnerable families and businesses.”