Doomsday could be coming sooner than we think in Illinois.
Gov. Pat Quinn’s Doomsday Budget was announced on March 10 and has been nicknamed “doomsday” use all the options seem like lose-lose situations. On one hand, the state could earn money and prevent terrible cuts in areas such as education and security; however, if lawmakers do not accept the proposed plan, drastic layoffs and program cuts may be on the horizon.
Quinn has proposed an increase in the income tax from 3 percent to 4 percent. It may not seem high, but it is actually a 33 percent increase. For example, if a person has an annual gross, should the tax increase fail to pass, Quinn has proposed $2.2 billion in cuts. The majority of the money would be $1.8 billion, which will come from education, including public schools, community colleges and universities. Approximately 17,000 teachers would lose their jobs.
Quinn is confident that the increase from 3 to 4 percent would bring in about $2.8 billion in revenue; therefore, saving the education budget.
“I believe this one percent for education makes sense, and I think the people of Illinois will understand,” said Quinn.
Dr. Lawrence Hill also feels that something is wrong with Quinn’s plan.
“Something has to be cut, so he chose education because he does not think the legislature will go along and [cut from somewhere else],” Hill said.
For college students, if the tax increase passes, the state’s MAP Grant program may also be affected.
According to Andy Davis, executive director of Illinois Student Assistance Commission, the MAP program’s deadline may end sooner than the original date of May 15, which can possibly cause students to miss the deadline for submission.
As it stands, a $55.1 billion budget would be placed in effect beginning July 1. Without the tax increase, that would mean $2.2 billion in program cuts, borrowing $4.7 million, and leaving more than $6 billion loans unpaid.
“It might seem easy to close our eyes, cross our fingers and kick the can down the road,” Quinn said. “But we can’t do that. The cost of doing nothing is too great. I have made some difficult, painful choices in this budget. You must make some tough choices, as well.”
The House and Senate are trying to finalize everything before May in order to allow lawmakers the time to campaign for the November election. If the plan doesn’t pass, the General Assembly could postpone this decision, and rely on borrowing for its second straight year.
Amanda Foresta, Staff Reporter
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