NW Illinois News

Illinois state Rep. Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) figures his Downstate constituents have at least $1.4 billion reasons to be demanding better treatment from Chicago Democrats.  

“It’s no secret that much of rural Illinois feels forgotten by Chicago Democrats running Illinois when it comes to things like state spending priorities,” Chesney recently posted on his government website. “We see these arguments play out every day at gas stations, coffee shops and at nearly any gathering of rural residents throughout our state.”

But with Downstate residents now on the hook for at least $1.4 billion in new taxes and fees in 2020, Chesney argues that the situation has become critical.

“The increased taxes on all Illinoisans⁠ — rural, suburban and urban ⁠— are being spent with very unequal input from stakeholders paying the bill for this excess,” Chesney wrote. “This is largely due to gerrymandered legislative maps and the disproportionate power structures they engender. Perhaps it’s long past time that supermajority Democrats, capable of passing whatever they want on their own with no Republican support, finally pass a fair map amendment and finally address Illinois’ high property taxes.”

Chesney points to such new regulations as a new trade-in tax on used vehicles, significantly higher license-plate fees and the increased gas tax as being equal opportunity burdens on nearly all Illinoisans.

“These taxes and fees are a lot of straws to throw on the camels’ backs all at once, so I’m not surprised to hear so many backs breaking by the actions of this state,” Chesney posted. “With top-in-the-nation population loss, isn’t it time to try something new in 2020? After all, there is no way to extract further taxes out of the growing liege of Illinois’ expatriates."