Illinois Valley Times

Sen. Win Stoller was vocal about how a temporary tax relief package is only delaying action, and it is not going to help in this situation.

Stoller recently spoke about how Illinois residents are suffering in these times of inflation, but a temporary tax relief package only means heading down the same path that brought Illinois to this stage in the first place.

"Already billions of dollars in debt, already having higher taxes on our employers, already having employees in that situation having reduced benefits when we enter a recession and have the related spike in unemployment," Stoller said. "Other states that took action are not going to be in that position. They're going to be in a position to take care of that their employees who need unemployment benefits in their time of need, but we are shortchanging ours, kicking the can down the road doesn't solve our problems. Delaying action doesn't solve our problems. In fact, it's these delays that got us in the mess that we are in in the first place and I do not think we should be heading down that path."

Senate Bill 157 passed both the Senate and the House unanimously, although Republicans were not pleased with the bill. It passed the House on April 9. “SB 157 offers a gas tax freeze that is not really gas tax relief,” Rep. Patrick Windhorst said, as reported by Metropolist Planet.

Senate Bill 157 would create several tax incentives for taxpayers in the state and give them a little relief after the high inflation the country is currently experiencing. The measure offers $1.83 billion in tax relief to families in Illinois and also in the form of tax credits to businesses, according to Lexology. But Republicans say these measures are not permanent, and they want to see more being done for residents of Illinois. 

“Supporting this package of tax breaks is the right thing to do as we fight the effects of inflation that is continuing to run rampant,” Windhorst said, reported Metropolis Planet. “Illinois government must change direction to stop people from leaving and to attract more people to come to our state. That must start with lowering the overall tax burden on a more permanent basis.”

Senate Bill 157 also would create the Manufacturing Illinois Chips for Real Opportunity (MICRO) Act, which was a big selling point for Republican legislators. MICRO would create tax incentives for manufacturers of semiconductors, microchips, or semiconductor or microchip component parts.