WGFA NEWS for Thursday, March 11, 2010 >
WX > Showers & T-storms this morning, then more rain this afternoon and tonight. High near 61. SW wind at 10-15 mph.
> Governor Pat Quinn used his budget address Wednesday to challenge lawmakers on an income tax increase of one-percent to be used to offset cuts to education. Quinn says raising the state’s income tax from three to four percent would bring in about two-point-eight billion dollars this year.
Without a tax increase, as many as 17-thousand teachers and school workers could lose their jobs after this school year. The state currently faces a budget gap of about 13-billion dollars. Quinn proposes strategic borrowing and further cutting the budget to bridge the gap.
> Governor Quinn’s Republican opponent for the November election had plenty of harsh words for his budget address Wednesday. But State Senator Bill Brady of Bloomington said he did agree with Quinn’s proposal to give tax credits for small businesses that hire new employees.
Brady said he wants a 21-hundred-dollar tax credit for all businesses for each job created. That’s down from the 25-hundred Quinn proposed for each job a small business creates. Brady also reiterated his pledge not to raise taxes, despite the state’s 13-billion-dollar deficit. Brady claims there are 40-to-45-billion dollars that can be cut or restructured in the state. However, the state only expects almost 27-and-a-half-billion dollars in revenues for the coming year.
> State Representative Shane Cultra said the problem is that Illinois is out of money and cuts have to be made, like it or not. Reacting to the Governor’s budget message, Cultra said “there’s not much difference from last year’s proposal.” He said threats are made to schools and service agencies, but the bottom line is “cuts have to be made.”
> Representative Lisa Dugan is calling for public input over the Governor’s proposal. Dugan said the budget address is just a starting point and the public needs to hear details about the financial shortfall. Dugan says local families need to know how these cuts will affect them.
> In Vermilion County–State Rep. Bill Black likes what the governor said, but there’s more details that have to worked out….
> Senator Dan Rutherford said he felt good about the tax credits for smaller businesses that Governor Quinn suggested. Rutherford is bothered by other comments that need clarification…..
“Your Illiana News Source”…. 94.1 FM, WGFA
