2020-08-16: The Illinois Green Party Coordinating Committee Endorses the Fair Tax Amendment

The Illinois Green Party believes the proposed change in the State Constitution to allow a graduated income tax structure is an idea that is long overdue and should be supported by the voters.

Today, only about one third of the states have a flat income tax as now exists in Illinois.  Such taxes impose the same percentage tax on a multi-millionaire as on a janitor.  Furthermore, the legal deductions and credits that are usually available to those in higher income brackets often make tax rates for the wealthy actually lower than those of the middle income and poorest citizens. 

In the spring of 2019, the General Assembly passed, and the Governor signed, legislation that would leave it up to the voters to approve fairer tax rates.  When you vote on November 3rd, 2020, vote “Yes” to allow this change to become legal.

The Cook County Green Party stands in solidarity with peaceful protesters and joins with them in condemning the horrific murder of George Floyd at the hands of police. We acknowledge the festering pain and rage that this killing brought to the surface and the vital need to vent and voice the unbearable frustration that little has changed.

We recognize civil disobedience as a powerful tool to gain attention and awareness, as well as to demand change in a criminal justice system that displays such remarkable injustice.

The two corporate parties never make it easy for Greens to get on the ballot, and Illinois has some of the worst ballot access laws in the nation. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it was extremely difficult for third-party candidates to satisfy the high petition-signature requirements that the duopoly parties had established to qualify for the November ballot. After the pandemic, it went from extremely difficult to impossible -- until the Green and Libertarian parties successfully sued state officials to lower those requirements and allow electronic petitioning in this election cycle.

Even after our legal victory, it was still quite a challenge to meet the lower requirements. But thanks to a lot of hard work by our candidates and volunteers, voters in Illinois will be able to cast a ballot on November 3rd for candidates who stand for real social progress -- not just for President and U.S. Senate, but, in many parts of the state, Congress, State Rep and local candidates as well.