Government Budgets

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Quinn doubles down on tax hike gamble

This article discusses Governor Quinn’s FY2015 budget recommendation, which calls for making Illinois’ temporary income tax rate increases permanent to help finance education and pay down unpaid bills. It cites the Civic Federation’s…

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Illinois Governor Quinn Proposes Keeping Income-Tax Increase

This article follows Governor Quinn’s FY2015 Budget Address and plan to make Illinois’ temporary income tax increase permanent to generate more State revenue. It cites the Civic Federation’s…

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Governor Wants to Keep Tax Increase, Setting Terms for Re-Election in Illinois

This article covers Governor Quinn’s March 26 announcement of his plan to make Illinois’ temporary income tax increase permanent. The Civic Federation said the tax increase alone won’t signal to credit rating agencies that the State knows…

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Quinn faces political peril in new budget plan

This article previews the budgetary challenges Governor Quinn is facing in advance of his March 26 fiscal year 2015 budget address. It cites the Civic Federation’s State of…

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Governor’s FY2015 Budget Recommendation Faces Illinois' Steep Revenue Cliff

Next week Governor Pat Quinn will give his sixth budget address since taking office in 2009. The budget is expected to be one of the most difficult of his tenure considering that the State is currently expected to have approximately $5.4…

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Joint Civic Federation - Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Conference to Feature Keynote Address by Detroit CFO John Hill

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the Board of Directors of the Civic Federation are pleased to announce a conference on how municipalities in Illinois can avoid or resolve fiscal stress. The half-day conference will take place on…

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Cost of Illinois' Retirement Income Tax Exemption

Unlike the federal government, the State of Illinois exempts all retirement income from the individual income tax. Of the 41 states that impose an income tax, Illinois is one of only three that exempt all pension income and one of 27 that…

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State in deepest financial hole ever

This article reviews the findings of Illinois’ Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for fiscal year 2013, which shows Illinois is still in the worst financial shape of the 50 states, but it’s rate of deterioration has slowed. The Civic…

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Emanuel borrowing carries steep price tag

This article discusses an $883 million bond sale by the City of Chicago that will largely be used for debt refinancing and short-term expenses. The Civic Federation said a well-managed government would not be issuing debt to pay for its…

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Taxable Sales Tax Deal Next Up For Illinois

This article discusses Illinois’ March 11 sale of taxable revenue-backed bonds in the context of the State’s temporary income tax increase scheduled to rollback in January 2015. It cites the Civic Federation’s recommendation to gradually…