Springfield, Ill. (KWQC/AP) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is proposing a budget of $40.7 billion.
He dressed it up Wednesday by dangling the prospect of a $1.4 billion revenue boost if voters approve a radical income-tax overhaul this fall. The second-year Democrat presented a fiscal outline with virtually no spending increase.
But Pritzker is holding $1.4 billion “in reserve,” to be used only if a graduated income tax is OK’d. Republicans complained Pritzker is holding the tax question over taxpayers’ heads to secure the additional spending.
In his speech, he said he wants to boost spending in key areas such as education, saying universities have seen a boost over this past year.
“For more than a decade, our universities saw a steady decline in enrollment. Schools like UIUC and Illinois State are seeing an increase in applications, not only from in-state students but out of state, too,” Pritzker said.
As part of his plan, Pritzker proposed a $350 million annual increase in K-12 education promised by a 2017 funding change.
