McLean County Times

A temporary tax relief package in the form of SB 157 passed both chambers on April 9 but Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) says the measures need to be permanent.

"Nothing is going to change. We're just moving the speed bump from the summer to after the election. That's what's happening here. Let's be honest here," Rezin said from the Senate floor on April 9. "And what's frustrating for us is my colleagues who talked about the budget on the other side and all of the good things in it and there are good things in it and I appreciate that. But what's frustrating for us is to see a billion dollars in additional capital projects paid with federal dollars and they're not in any of our districts on this side. None of them. So that's a billion dollars – in our opinion – that instead of being used on member projects on that side for capital projects could have been used to put against this deficit."  

Senate Bill 157, which lays out revenue-related measures and the tax relief proposal,  passed both the Senate and the House on April 9. But the Republicans are not really happy with the bill.

The main aim of SB 157 was to give some tax relief amid inflation. However, the tax breaks are not permanent and are valid only until after the election. 

“Supporting this package of tax breaks is the right thing to do as we fight the effects of inflation that is continuing to run rampant,” Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Harrisburg) said, Metropolis Planet reported. “Illinois government must change direction to stop people from leaving and to attract more people to come to our state. That must start with lowering the overall tax burden on a more permanent basis.”

Senate Bill 157 also creates the Manufacturing Illinois Chips for Real Opportunity (MICRO) Act, which was a big selling point for Republican legislators. MICRO will create tax incentives for manufacturers of semiconductors, microchips or semiconductor or microchip component parts.