One of the hardest things to understand is why elected officials continue to raise taxes.
As a business owner, I know from experience: When elected officials raise taxes, it drives people out of the state. The state’s gas tax last month increased by 6.2 cents for a total of 45.4 cents per gallon, and the grocery tax has been restored. Many Illinois residents travel to Indiana to buy gas and groceries. Higher fees hurt Illinois residents who already pay some of the highest property taxes.Additionally, Illinois restaurants raise their prices or find ways to offset increased costs.
In Chicago, we have an undeclared state of emergency with respect to crime. Retail stores are locking up products behind glass cases to prevent theft. Our students are falling behind their peers around the world in education because of a curriculum that does not challenge them, absent parents, lack of teacher accountability, inadequate infrastructure and a union that uses children as political pawns in their pursuit of power.