May 2, 2007 6:17 pm US/Central
State Lawmakers Vow To Oppose Governor's Tax Plan
by Mike Flannery
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
-
-
Gov. Blagojevich presented the state budget March 7. (File)
CBS
On the floor of the Illinois House Wednesday, Democrats and Republicans claimed that a bipartisan majority now opposes the governor's plan to raise additional revenue through the so-called gross receipts tax.
As CBS 2's Political Editor Mike Flannery reports, the Speaker of the House appeared to be setting the stage for raising other taxes.
During floor action shown on the Internet, McHenry County's Democratic Rep. Jack Franks was joined by House Republican leader Tom Cross in what many legislators hoped would be a public Burial of the governor's proposed $7 billion Gross receipts tax.
"The gross receipts tax is D.O.A.," Cross said.
Without the endangered gross receipts tax, the governor has no way to pay for his plan to provide subsidized health insurance to all who cannot currently afford it.
Competing priorities, though, including education and transportation, are demanding their own billions of dollars in new state funds.
House Speaker Mike Madigan warned that, even if the Blagojevich proposal is dead, taxpayers are far off the hook.
"I think that when we get down to budget-making that a majority of the legislature is going to recognize that we need a tax increase," Madigan said.
Mayor Richard M. Daley was among those suggesting other revenue sources.
"There's always something off the table going on at all times," Daley said. "You know that in the general assembly. You know that there is always some other issue there."
His spokeswoman said Blagojevich welcomes a public hearing on the gross receipts tax that Madigan plans to convene next Wednesday. She said it would separate the facts from what she called "the myths" about the governor's tax plan, and help revive it.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Get breaking news alerts
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
