Oregon, Or Egon?
We should really congratulate Oregon today. the people voted to approve two special tax measures to close a $733 million state budget gap in the state. Enjoy this link.
A tax increase like the two in Oregon is exactly what Illinois needs right now!
"Passage of these measures means we keep core services of education, health care and public safety that Oregon families, businesses, and communities count on," said Oregon House Speaker Dave Hunt, a Democrat who represents Clackamas County. Defeat, he said, would have forced the state to cut nearly a billion dollars more from such services."
"Oregon voters said 'no' to more 4-day school weeks and bulging class sizes and 'yes' to corporations and the wealthy paying their fair share,"
Oregon really gets it!!
Let YOUR Legislators know that we need to end the stupid flat tax in Illinois. Click here to learn how
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
cta service cuts
do you take public transportation in Chicago? If so, you should know that state taxes support your trips, not just city taxes and fares. Do you think struggling families down state give a shit about our cta? my guess is hell no. Even though it's not fair, I'm not going to act like I don't reap the benefits and like it. As you've probably heard, there are going to be significant cut-backs to the bus service. So, there was a fare hike, now service cuts, and poor people outside the city pay for something they dont use. Isn't that a bit fucked up? Solution: tax brackets to create a more fair system
Raise the rate for those that can afford it to keep busses moving!
Raise the rate for those that can afford it to keep busses moving!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
How easy is it?
it's so easy...you can do it faster than the cast of Jersey Shore can show their abs.
email your reps through this site made for lazy-faces www.illinoisneedstaxbrackets.com
The letter is written for you!
email your reps through this site made for lazy-faces www.illinoisneedstaxbrackets.com
The letter is written for you!
Sara Feigenholtz
Turns out we see eye-to-eye, Ms. Feigenholtz and I. I'm in the 12th district so she and John Cullerton are the peeps I get a hold of when I have concerns. In addition to the supremely simple form letter on the site (www.illinoisneedstaxbrackets.com), I wrote a letter to thank her for supporting the bill to remove the flax tax last time. It also turns out we have many of the same interests. For instance, we both advocate gay rights. Did you know that some people think gay people should be treated differently than breeders? Ms Feigenholtz thinks gay people are citizens. Likes this (thumbs up).
Know what else? Ms Feigenholtz also loves women having access to birth control. Did you know that some people think that the devil walks among us and that women are causing the decline of our United States by taking precautions to not get pregnant? Ms Feigenholtz thinks women are citizens. She was behind "The Contraceptive Equity Act" (insurance coverage for birth control) and "The Unintended Pregnancy Prevention Act" (PlanB at Walgreens). In my book, she's the A#1
What do you think of her policies?
Know what else? Ms Feigenholtz also loves women having access to birth control. Did you know that some people think that the devil walks among us and that women are causing the decline of our United States by taking precautions to not get pregnant? Ms Feigenholtz thinks women are citizens. She was behind "The Contraceptive Equity Act" (insurance coverage for birth control) and "The Unintended Pregnancy Prevention Act" (PlanB at Walgreens). In my book, she's the A#1
What do you think of her policies?
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Significantly easier than pie
Abby is the shit and made www.illinoisneedstaxbrackets.com completely lazy-proof. There is a form letter already written and you just have to put in some info and then, with effen technology magic, you've emailed your reps. If you don't do go on the website and get it done you are the laziest turd this side of Lake Michigan.
out!
out!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
free-file
You should be getting those W-2s soon, people. How about this year you do your taxes early. Really look at those final numbers. If you are in the low federal tax brackets you are giving Illinois a lot of money back, huh? You probably have to write Illinois a check. You should think about what a high percentage of you're income you've given the state in sales taxes already. It's a lot more than 3%. It's OK to be frustrated. In fact, get pissy, indignant, and self-righteous. God knows that people in high tax-brackets do. Know how I know? Because they hire accountants who hide their income and know the loop holes and jargon of tax filing. But you, gentle reader, may not be able to afford more than a simple free-file online, and that thing won't tell you how to cheat the government. The "haves" bitch about the "have nots" who are living on the dole and using services that they pay for. Well guess what...you have been paying for them too and now services are being slashed from the state budget. Now what?
GET THE FLAT TAX OUT OF THE ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION THIS MAY
Write or call your elected officials now. A sample dialogue:
"Hi, my name is ______. I am a resident of the ____ district and you represent me. Even if you aren't up for reelection, this May I want you to vote "aye" when they're all like, "who wants to get the tax system on the ballot in 2010?" Please and thank you."
Easy! Then vote for tax-brackets in the fall. Piece of cake! Then the state government can get some dollars fair and square.
GET THE FLAT TAX OUT OF THE ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION THIS MAY
Write or call your elected officials now. A sample dialogue:
"Hi, my name is ______. I am a resident of the ____ district and you represent me. Even if you aren't up for reelection, this May I want you to vote "aye" when they're all like, "who wants to get the tax system on the ballot in 2010?" Please and thank you."
Easy! Then vote for tax-brackets in the fall. Piece of cake! Then the state government can get some dollars fair and square.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
High sales tax in Chicago...because of a low flat-rate income tax
Why are our sales taxes so high in Chicago, Cook County and Illinois?
Because we choose sales taxes more than income taxes in this state.
There's no such thing as a Chicago income tax. There is in New York City. And Washington, D.C. But not Chicago.
So the money has to come from somewhere. If we don't tax income, then we either tax sales or property.
That's it. Those are the choices. Income tax. Sales tax. Property tax.
And the state income tax is...low. So the state sales tax is high.
It's 6.25%. That's pretty high.
Here is a Wikipedia state-by-state comparison of sales taxes.
The state income tax is only 3%. That's pretty low.
It's the lowest income tax rate in the country. Check out Wikipedia.
There is no state property tax.
So Illinois uses a pretty high sales tax, a very low income tax and no state property tax.
If we had a higher income tax rate -- and if we used tax brackets like the federal government and like 30-some other states -- we could lower our sales tax.
So the next time you look at your receipt and wonder why the sales tax is so high, think about our low income tax and our lack of state income tax brackets.
Because we choose sales taxes more than income taxes in this state.
There's no such thing as a Chicago income tax. There is in New York City. And Washington, D.C. But not Chicago.
So the money has to come from somewhere. If we don't tax income, then we either tax sales or property.
That's it. Those are the choices. Income tax. Sales tax. Property tax.
And the state income tax is...low. So the state sales tax is high.
It's 6.25%. That's pretty high.
Here is a Wikipedia state-by-state comparison of sales taxes.
The state income tax is only 3%. That's pretty low.
It's the lowest income tax rate in the country. Check out Wikipedia.
There is no state property tax.
So Illinois uses a pretty high sales tax, a very low income tax and no state property tax.
If we had a higher income tax rate -- and if we used tax brackets like the federal government and like 30-some other states -- we could lower our sales tax.
So the next time you look at your receipt and wonder why the sales tax is so high, think about our low income tax and our lack of state income tax brackets.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Welfare
Last night my friend complained about this here project saying, "a small business is already taxed at about 40% by its 'business partner', the government, and now you want the business owner to pay higher taxes on personal income from said business because he/she/I make 'too much money".
No, anonymous-friend, it's not that I'm jealous of your money and want to punish you. I don't want you to pay for "women who pop out babies to collect welfare". Maybe welfare should get a revamp, but the majority of your taxes do NOT go to welfare... read this
grrr, republican-friend-with-sweet-moustache, let us again take a look at Quinn's list of where your Illinois taxes go. List! I imagine if every dollar that goes towards a woman with children counts as welfare then you could be right, friend-of-mine. But you know, gentle reader, that is a misrepresentation of the numbers.
And, close-friend-with-whom-I've-shared-great-adventures-and-who-has bought-me-many-generous-gifts, you too should be able to vote your conscience in 2010. So let's all contact our reps to get it on the ballot!
Thanks for the inspiration and whiskey talks, Keith.
No, anonymous-friend, it's not that I'm jealous of your money and want to punish you. I don't want you to pay for "women who pop out babies to collect welfare". Maybe welfare should get a revamp, but the majority of your taxes do NOT go to welfare... read this
grrr, republican-friend-with-sweet-moustache, let us again take a look at Quinn's list of where your Illinois taxes go. List! I imagine if every dollar that goes towards a woman with children counts as welfare then you could be right, friend-of-mine. But you know, gentle reader, that is a misrepresentation of the numbers.
And, close-friend-with-whom-I've-shared-great-adventures-and-who-has bought-me-many-generous-gifts, you too should be able to vote your conscience in 2010. So let's all contact our reps to get it on the ballot!
Thanks for the inspiration and whiskey talks, Keith.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Really!?
Where does Illinois get it's cash money? Hmmm. Notice how high the sales taxes are compared to income tax. No es bueno for poor peeps, ya'll.
Property Tax 37.1%
General Sales Tax 16.6%
Selective Sales Tax 17.2%
Individual Income 17.1%
Corporate Income 5.3%
Licenses & Other 6.6%
compare us to other states
Property Tax 37.1%
General Sales Tax 16.6%
Selective Sales Tax 17.2%
Individual Income 17.1%
Corporate Income 5.3%
Licenses & Other 6.6%
compare us to other states
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Women and Taxes
The following is an excerpt from"Taxes are a Woman’s Issue: Reframing the Debate". It is a very comprehensive description of the necessity of a progressive tax system from the National Council for Research on Women. Though the research was specifically on women, the information applies to everyone who is not super-rich and is important for everyone to understand.
Women generally benefit from a progressive tax system that taxes people according to their ability to pay. They are disadvantaged by a tax system that doesn’t raise enough money for public services that support and help compensate for their patterns of paid and unpaid labor.
How Has This happened?
Significant changes in tax policy over the past quarter century have led to increasingly inadequate budgets at the local, state, and national levels and a decreasingly progressive tax system overall.
Taxes on wealth, the most progressive kinds of taxes, have been systematically rolled back. Capital gains taxes, which apply to profits made on the sale of financial assets like real estate or stocks, account for more than half of the income of the very wealthy, yet tax rates on that income have been more than halved since the 1970s. Likewise, the inheritance tax on large estates and taxes on dividend income from corporate stocks and bonds, both of which affect to a very large degree the very wealthy, have been slashed.
Add to this the great growth in more regressive taxes – like state sales taxes and payroll taxes – and you have a system that is taking less and less from those with more – and more and more from those with less.
Tax cuts since 2001 have accelerated this trend, lowering the combined federal, state and local tax rate for the top 1% of taxpayers by 12 % while low-income taxpayers enjoyed cuts of only 3 %. For women with low incomes, they pose devastating threats to their fundamental security and that of their families. This inequality is built into the ways the nation raises and spends its tax revenues. It is both systemic and structural, affecting all women but not in the same ways or to the same degree.
Less Public Money: Decreasing progressivity has meant that governments have a smaller pool of wealth available to fund our public services.
More Pressure on Low- and Middle- Income Earners: With changes in the tax system at all levels of government, the share of the national tax bill paid by low and middle income wage earners, disproportionately women, is increasing while the wealthy and corporations are seeing more of their incomes remain in their pockets after taxes.
Underfunded Public Services: With decreased tax revenues there is less money to sustain the quality and availability of public services that affect us all – like public education, roads, sanitation, environmental protection, and public safety.
Squeeze on Social Welfare: Need-based public programs like Medicaid, nutrition programs, and childcare on which low-income women particularly depend have been consistently squeezed. In February 2006, Congress and the President cut an additional $39.5 billion over 5 years from such programs as health care for the elderly and student loans.
A Widening Gap between Rich and Poor: In 2001, the richest 20% of households owned 83% of the country’s assets while the bottom 18% had zero or negative net worths – and this discrepancy is even more dramatic when race is considered. Nearly 31% of African American households had zero or minus net worth.
The report is co-authored by Mimi Abramovitz, a professor at the Hunter College School of Social Work, and Sandra Morgen, director of the Center for the Study of Women in Society and professor of anthropology at the University of Oregon, with the National Council for Research on Women and published by the Feminist Press. read the full article
Women generally benefit from a progressive tax system that taxes people according to their ability to pay. They are disadvantaged by a tax system that doesn’t raise enough money for public services that support and help compensate for their patterns of paid and unpaid labor.
How Has This happened?
Significant changes in tax policy over the past quarter century have led to increasingly inadequate budgets at the local, state, and national levels and a decreasingly progressive tax system overall.
Taxes on wealth, the most progressive kinds of taxes, have been systematically rolled back. Capital gains taxes, which apply to profits made on the sale of financial assets like real estate or stocks, account for more than half of the income of the very wealthy, yet tax rates on that income have been more than halved since the 1970s. Likewise, the inheritance tax on large estates and taxes on dividend income from corporate stocks and bonds, both of which affect to a very large degree the very wealthy, have been slashed.
Add to this the great growth in more regressive taxes – like state sales taxes and payroll taxes – and you have a system that is taking less and less from those with more – and more and more from those with less.
Tax cuts since 2001 have accelerated this trend, lowering the combined federal, state and local tax rate for the top 1% of taxpayers by 12 % while low-income taxpayers enjoyed cuts of only 3 %. For women with low incomes, they pose devastating threats to their fundamental security and that of their families. This inequality is built into the ways the nation raises and spends its tax revenues. It is both systemic and structural, affecting all women but not in the same ways or to the same degree.
Less Public Money: Decreasing progressivity has meant that governments have a smaller pool of wealth available to fund our public services.
More Pressure on Low- and Middle- Income Earners: With changes in the tax system at all levels of government, the share of the national tax bill paid by low and middle income wage earners, disproportionately women, is increasing while the wealthy and corporations are seeing more of their incomes remain in their pockets after taxes.
Underfunded Public Services: With decreased tax revenues there is less money to sustain the quality and availability of public services that affect us all – like public education, roads, sanitation, environmental protection, and public safety.
Squeeze on Social Welfare: Need-based public programs like Medicaid, nutrition programs, and childcare on which low-income women particularly depend have been consistently squeezed. In February 2006, Congress and the President cut an additional $39.5 billion over 5 years from such programs as health care for the elderly and student loans.
A Widening Gap between Rich and Poor: In 2001, the richest 20% of households owned 83% of the country’s assets while the bottom 18% had zero or negative net worths – and this discrepancy is even more dramatic when race is considered. Nearly 31% of African American households had zero or minus net worth.
The report is co-authored by Mimi Abramovitz, a professor at the Hunter College School of Social Work, and Sandra Morgen, director of the Center for the Study of Women in Society and professor of anthropology at the University of Oregon, with the National Council for Research on Women and published by the Feminist Press. read the full article
Friday, December 11, 2009
How do tax brackets work?
mmmk, so it has come to my attention that some people don't understand how progressive taxes work. It's probably because you're in the lowest bracket and have never had to think about it. Let's say you are Cam Barker, a Black Hawk with a mid-range salary of 3,000,000 dollars. If Illinois switched to tax-brackets from the flat tax Cam would be taxed 3% on the first 20, 000, 5% up to 100,000, and 7% above that. Those numbers are arbitrary, but you can see that progressive taxes don't just take 7% of 3 million, but tax each level independently. Therefore, the percentage someone in a higher bracket really pays is not so high. This site has a thingy where you can put in your own numbers for your federal taxes, whoo fun!
"Ahhh, yes!" you say, "I get it! It really is a fair way of getting some money to service the fine citizens of Illinois." Don't you want a chance to vote about it? Go back in this blog a bit and you'll find a link to your state reps. shoot off a lil' email and feel good and smug for a while, yes?
"Ahhh, yes!" you say, "I get it! It really is a fair way of getting some money to service the fine citizens of Illinois." Don't you want a chance to vote about it? Go back in this blog a bit and you'll find a link to your state reps. shoot off a lil' email and feel good and smug for a while, yes?
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