One of this column’s recurring themes is that no major legislative change materializes from thin air. Such reforms might be new to people who aren’t paying attention, but falling into that group is a choice.
(Side note: one benefit of being an informed voter is knowing more than the reactionaries who seize on everything “new” in an attempt for clout or to build communal rage. Take the recent kerfuffle over the notion of taxing vehicles based on miles driven instead of fuel purchases. The concept has been discussed in Illinois since at least Gov. JB Pritzker’s 2018 campaign against Bruce Rauner; anyone acting as if the concept were shocking or novel revealed themselves to be somewhat unaware.)
Today’s column is a homework assignment: Visit tinyurl.com/SalesTaxReform and read the 34-page document called “Modernizing Illinois’ Sales Tax: A Pathway to a Sustainable Future.”
Authoring bodies include The Civic Federation, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Center for Tax and Budget Accountability and the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, which included the March report in an email last week to bring it back on my radar.
The point in sharing this with readers isn’t to advocate for the report’s suggestions, but to present an opportunity to explore the groundwork lawmakers and lobbyists will reference as these concepts make their way into public remarks, committee meetings and eventually legislation.
That already happened to some extent near the end of the spring session when Republicans warned Democrats were trying to raise more than $2.7 million by taxing purchases in dozens of new categories. In that light, the notions were threatening. The report treats the same information as empowering by presenting an opportunity to shift away from taxes on stuff people buy into a system said to yield “a more strategic and sustainable fiscal structure that delivers consistent and reliable revenue growth, efficient spending and economic competitiveness.”
The challenge for the already informed voter is engaging with the report on its face and not through partisan eyes and preconceived notions. Which isn’t to say the report itself doesn’t emanate from an established ideology, but rather an encouragement to consider the entire exercise as research.
In other words, if you’re already irate about the conclusions based on what little I’ve summarized to this point, at the very least the document provides you a look at the other side’s game plan. If the ultimate goal is defeating the opposition, it’s wise to understand the underlying strategy to build a reasoned defense.
For those of us open to being swayed either way, the report is a useful mix of history, analysis and suggestion. The ideas may never take hold in Illinois. But if they do, you can’t say you never saw it coming.
• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.
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