As Democrats in Illinois are once again plotting another massive tax hike, the most recent data shows that over 54,000 people and $6 billion of their hard-earned income have already fled our state.

Illinois has a full-blown taxpayer exodus crisis, and what’s Springfield’s brilliant solution? Continue to punish the people who have chosen to stay in this state.

For years now, Illinois Democrats, including our billionaire governor, have argued that the solution to nearly every problem is more spending and taxing everything.

More programs, more mandates and more promises, many of them left unfunded or shifted onto local governments to deal with.

Along the way, Illinoisans were told that new revenue streams would stabilize the system. Gambling-related tax expansions, toll increases and taxes on marijuana were all pitched as ways to ease the burden and put the state on a better financial footing. They didn’t work.

Illinois families are already crushed under some of the highest taxes in America, especially sky-high property taxes that are driving people out of their own homes.

Instead of cutting waste, reducing spending or giving relief to working families, what do the Democrats in Springfield do? Double down on the same failed strategy: raise taxes again, this time targeting the job creators and high earners, and pray it plugs the hole they keep digging.

What’s even more insulting is the hypocrisy. These same politicians lecture us about shared sacrifice and investing in our communities while they ship their own kids to private schools and stash their money offshore. They demand you pay more so the government can grow fatter, all while they live by a completely different set of rules. It’s classic do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do elitism, and it is obvious.

At the same time, data shows that those who can escape are doing exactly that. According to IRS migration figures, Illinois lost just over 54,000 residents between 2022 and 2023, along with about $6 billion in Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). That averages out to $110,600 in lost AGI per departing resident. A significant portion of that loss came from higher earners, with roughly 60% of those leaving earning over $100,000 a year and accounting for the vast majority of the income they took with them.

This trend has real consequences for the state’s economy. We’re not just losing population. We’re losing taxpayers, small business owners, doctors, engineers, and entrepreneurs, the very people who create jobs, invest in neighborhoods, and keep local economies alive. When they go, the damage ripples everywhere.

A shrinking tax base and exploding spending obligations are a recipe for disaster. Government costs don’t magically shrink when people leave; they get slammed onto the backs of the remaining families, small businesses, and retirees who can’t afford to escape. The middle class gets squeezed even harder.

It is also not hard to see where former Illinois residents are going. Florida and Texas, which do not have a state income tax, continue to attract people leaving higher-tax states. Closer to home, Indiana and Iowa offer lower costs of living and more competitive tax environments. For many families, the decision comes down to keeping more of what they earn and finding a place where costs are more predictable.

Illinois, however, continues to follow the same pattern. More spending is paired with calls for more revenue, and the pressure continues to build on a shrinking pool of taxpayers.

If we want to stop the bleeding and bring people and jobs back to Illinois, we need a completely different direction, pro-growth, pro-taxpayer, pro-freedom policies. Cut the waste. Slash burdensome regulations. Stop punishing success. Create an environment where people actually want to stay, invest, build businesses, and raise their families.

Raising taxes isn’t leadership, it’s economic suicide. Time to put Illinois first, put taxpayers first, and finally reject the failed Democrat big-government experiment that’s driving our state into the ground.

• Andrew Chesney, R, Freeport, is the Illinois state senator for the 45th District.