Moylan Co-Sponsors Legislation to Help Residents Off-set Obstacles in the new Tax Plan

DES PLAINES, Ill. – Continuing his efforts to help save residents money and lessen their tax burden, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, has co-sponsored legislation that would allow for Illinois residents to donate money to the Illinois Excellence Fund and write off 100% of it as a charitable donation on their State and Federal taxes.

“The new GOP tax plan is somewhat of a shell game. The federal tax plan slightly lowers an individual’s income tax rate, but also dramatically decreases the amount they can write off,” Moylan said. “So at the end of the day the individual will be paying more in taxes, and that is unacceptable.”

House Bill 4237 was introduced earlier this month in response to the new GOP tax plan capping the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction at $10,000. Under SALT, individuals can deduct local and state income and property taxes from their federal income tax liability. The new limit on the previously uncapped deduction will especially be troubling for Illinois taxpayers as the average SALT deduction in Illinois in 2015 was $12,500.

The Moylan-sponsored House Bill 4237 looks to mitigate this drastic change by allowing Illinois taxpayers to donate to the Illinois Excellence Fund and receive a 100% state income tax credit in return. Since, the donations given to the Illinois Excellence Fund will be exclusively used for public purposes, the donations could also be considered a federal charitable contribution, which can be used as a write-off to deduct the federal income tax liability since the new tax plan does not cap charitable contributions.  Moylan, who voted against the Illinois income tax increase, said it’s time that legislators in Springfield and Washington are up-front with taxpayers.

“The GOP Tax plan is all smoke and mirrors,” Moylan said. “The legislation I am co-sponsoring will actually save Illinois tax payers money as we continue to look for new ways to lessen the tax burden on many Illinois families.”

For more information about this legislation, or any questions or concerns, please contact Moylan’s full-time constituent office at 847-635-6821 or emailStateRepMoylan@gmail.com.