- Published: Friday, April 01, 2022 06:25 PM
SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) joined his colleagues at a press conference in Springfield Friday to outline a more than $1.8 billion inflation-addressing relief plan that would wipe out state taxes on back-to-school shopping and groceries, stop rising gas taxes and deliver income and property tax refund checks statewide.
“This plan gets money back in the hands of consumers. They’ve endured through this pandemic. It’s time for the state to pay it forward,” Bennett said.
Under their plan, the state would directly deliver relief checks valued at $100 per person and $50 per child to state taxpayers making up to $250,000 individually or up to $500,000 jointly. A household of four could see a $300 check.
The relief checks would likely come in late summer or early fall. Bennett and his colleagues estimated more than 97% of state taxpayers would get a check of some amount.
“We’ve been through a lot as a state. The good economic news we have now needs to be shared, directly, with taxpayers,” Bennett said. “And that’s what we’re doing with this plan.”
The plan also wipes out for six months the state sales tax on groceries and stops a gasoline tax increase from happening. The proposal is modeled after one Gov. JB Pritzker proposed in his budget speech earlier this year.
The plan also includes property tax relief checks of up to $300 that would be mailed to taxpayers. This idea is also one that originated with Gov. Pritzker’s budget proposal.
Additionally, the plan wipes out the state sales tax on clothing, shoes and school supplies for 10 days in August to give consumers an economic boost as they go back-to-school shopping. As proposed, the sales tax would be lifted from Aug. 5 to Aug. 14.
The comprehensive proposal also includes expanded economic aid for lower-income workers and increased tax credits for teachers and volunteer first responders.
The plan, included in legislation filed Friday in the Senate, totals more than $1.8 billion in economic relief. It could be voted on in the coming days as the legislative session heads toward a planned adjournment on April 8.
“Through responsible budgeting the state has wiped out deficits and paid our bills. Now is the time to pay it forward and get money back to taxpayers,” Bennett said.
