Welch Fights to Lower Middle Class Tax Burdens; Demands Wealthy Pay Fair Share

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Fighting to provide working and middle class families with tax relief, state Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, is advocating for the adoption of a progressive tax in Illinois, undoing decades of economic injustice for working people.

“A progressive tax is exactly what Illinois needs and what Illinois taxpayers deserve,” said Welch. “This is a tax cut for everyday Illinoisans who work long hours, worry about how to pay the bills and send their kids to college, and live paycheck to paycheck, while asking the wealthiest among us to finally pay their fair share of taxes.”

Welch is joining Democratic lawmakers in pushing for a progressive tax in Illinois by sponsoring House Resolution 1025. The measure shows the support of those who are demanding tax fairness for their residents and to modernize an outdated, regressive tax structure. A recent study by the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, a nonpartisan organization, found that a graduated income tax structure would provide a tax break to 98 percent of taxpayers and bring in an additional $2 billion in revenue by requiring the ultra-wealthy to pay their fair share. This additional revenue would help fund vital services that the state’s most vulnerable citizens rely upon, such as home-delivered meals for seniors and breast and cervical cancer screenings for working women.

“This effort is another piece in the fight for fairness,” said Welch. “A teacher, janitor, bus driver, painter and carpenter, and so many more, should not be forced to pay the same as a big-time hedge-fund manager or private equity billionaire like Governor Bruce Rauner, who falsely claims he understands the plight of true-hardworking Illinoisans. If he did, he’d support this effort to give middle class families real tax relief.”