MT. CARMEL, Ill. (WEHT) – As the economy has fluctuated, one thing has remained the same – the price increase in groceries and gas. And in Illinois, residents don’t see the end in sight.
“We’ve gotten so used to it being at this level almost, maybe a few cents less, maybe a nickel less,” said Ellen Storckman of Mt. Carmel. “But we’ve been going on for quite a while with things like up above $3.25.”
If approved, Governor Pritzker’s nearly $1 billion tax relief plan would freeze some taxes. The one percent sales tax on grocery items would be frozen and the scheduled increase on gas taxes would halt as well. Some Illinois residents are weighing the pros and cons.
“I think it’s a great idea if the state has money for it,” said Devan Twitchell of Mt. Carmel. “I know they have a hard time fining funding for most things, so if it could get some traction and take effect that would be amazing.”
“It’s great!” added Storckmann. “But just tell me – when are the taxes going to go up and who is going to get their taxes raised? If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Something somewhere has got to give in order to do this.”
Many agree that they are afraid of where the extra money will come from, but some disagree on what should be cut.
“According to what we’re told as the public and what the taxes are and just the state of Illinois alone, I think that’s the best route he could’ve gone because that’s the one place that he knows everybody’s going to be cut,” added Twitchell. “There’s not a person I know that doesn’t use gas or eat groceries.”
“If he wants to kind of help give back, then he could start cutting other taxes,” said Micah Hasselbring of Lancaster. “Property taxes, cause my in-laws pay a lot. More than I think should be charged.”
With Pritzker’s campaign around the corner, some say it sounds like a desperate move.
“He’s up for re-election, I think it’s just one way to throw money out there and people are going to go ‘oh he’s great he saved us look he’s giving us this money, I’m going to vote for him,'” said Storckmann.
But others say they agree with his move.
“I think it’s a smart move in his favor for sure because there’s some people that aren’t going to be pleased no matter what and they probably haven’t been pleased since he’s been in office,” said Twitchell. “So to try to sway them using something they use everyday is probably not a bad idea on his move.”
The plan would also potentially offer homeowners a property tax rebate of up to $300 in that year. Pritzker has proposed that the state make up for the difference in these taxes, but the complete plan has not been released yet. His full proposal will be unveiled in the State of the State address on Wednesday, February 2.
