In a case scrutinized for potential ramifications for pension reform in Illinois, the Arizona Supreme Court today ruled unconstitutional efforts to curtail benefit increases for retired judges.
The Arizona case has been on the local radar because Arizona and Illinois are, along with New York, the only three states with constitutionally mandated protections for state pensions.
“My one-word comment is 'predictable,' ” said Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, on today's ruling. “All the Arizona Supreme Court did is read the plain language and said there's no need for legal construction here: The language is plain on its face. Hence, it's unconstitutional.”
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Crain’s Chicago Business article on “Real Reason Why Most Illinois Companies Don’t Pay State Income Taxes” regarding a new study commissioned by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Taxpayers’ Federation, quotes Ralph Martire. Paul Merrion’s article ends:
The findings are not that
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A plan to cut Illinois’ corporate income tax in half to create more jobs won’t work out, according to budget expert Ralph Martire.
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan introduced a bill Jan. 30 to reduce the state’s corporate income tax from 7 percent to 3.5 percent.
“I am
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Reforming Illinois' public education funding system has to include fixes to the state’s tax policy, argued Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability at a DePaul University education forum Tuesday evening.
“For decades, Illinois has denied an
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“….. The issue should be part of the campaign debate, though, because without such structural changes, Illinois likely faces a future of red ink.”
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To the Editor:
Regarding your ‘Skip the rhetoric, we want the facts’ editorial of Jan. 19: Amen to that. Unfortunately, if past performance is any indicator it’s going to take more than facts. As we’ve seen, going through the motions of gathering facts is far different than listening to
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The House Revenue and Finance Committee and the House State Government Administration Committee met at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 17, 2014, in room C-600 of the Michael A. Bilandic Building. Lawmakers heard testimony from the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, among others.
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"The poorest families in Illinois pay a proportionally higher percentage of their income in taxes" at a League of Women Voters of Adams County informational program at Quincy University.
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Bloomington Pantagraph: According to a database created by the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, State Treasurer Dan Rutherford could see a significant loss in buying power due to newly enacted pension changes.
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There are two things everyone in Illinois should understand about the pension bill that Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn just signed. First, it ultimately will make the state's poor fiscal condition even worse. Second, the legislation fails to address the problem that led to the pension systems being