This Report, co-authored by CTBA and the Social Impact Research Center, highlights the consequences of state budget cuts to human service programs.
CTBA’s analysis of the 2006 proposed sale or lease of the State of Illinois Lottery to generate revenue for funding K-12 education.
Answers to frequently asked questions about Illinois' fiscal system, inculding: how to state and federal tax systems differ; how does the economy impact state systems and individuals; what is Illinois' overall tax policy; and, how does Illinois' tax policy compare to other states and best practices.
This Issue Brief explains why increased revenue is needed to address Illinois' budget deficits.
Funding Our Future is a thorough analysis and overview of the Illinois’s long-term spending patterns, budget problems and tax policy. This Report also includes an analysis of the two major gubernatorial candidates’ respective budget proposals. Funding Our Future has been peer reviewed by independent PhD economists that are university-based, think tank-based, and working for the federal General Accounting Office.
Illinois faces a structural deficit, which is not caused by over spending or generous pensions. Instead, it is caused by Illinois' poorly designed tax system, which does not create enough revenue to sustain the state’s expenditures. This problem cannot be solved by cutting spending. This is because 9 out of 10 general fund dollars is spent on providing core-services. The better solution is tax reform.
Presentation on why Illinois needs tax reform, and the case for a graduated income tax.
Governor Blagojevich entered his first term in office with a daunting task, fill a $5 billion budget hole without a general tax increase – a promise he made time and again on the campaign trail. The Governor stuck to his promise and closed the gap through a combination of one-time revenues, on-going tax and fee increases, administrative reforms and spending cuts. General Funds appropriations in this budget total $23.344 billion, an increase of 4.7% over the FY2003 budget level. This includes the additional $153 million the General Assembly tacked onto the Governor’s recommended appropriations for education ($101 million), higher education ($27 million), governmental services ($3 million), Medicaid/health and human services ($13 million) and public safety ($9 million). How are we paying for these increases while also closing the budget hole? This year, the state is relying heavily on one-time revenue enhancements.
CTBA's estimate of the FY2005 General Fund budget deficit.
This Report is CTBA's analysis of the enacted FY2005 General Fund budget.
A comparison of the state's FY2006 enacted and FY1995 General Fund budgets.
