Metro East Sun

State House candidate Amy Elik fumes that Democrats' disregard for hard-pressed taxpayers grows more appalling by the day.

“It isn't enough for the Democrats in power to enact policies forcing workers to leave, now they want to go after retirees as well,” Elik, who is running against incumbent state Rep. Monica Bristow (D-Alton) in the 111th District, told the Metro East Sun.

Elik’s outrage comes in the wake of Illinois state Treasurer Michael Frerichs recently admitting that the state plans to follow in the footsteps of every other state with a progressive tax system in place similar to the one now being pushed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and will that he will tax retirees whose income surpasses a certain threshold.

Despite Pritzker long insisting that the tax will only mean higher rates for the state's most affluent residents, Elik predicts it’s only the beginning.

“The biggest problem with a progressive tax is that the Democrats in power in Springfield think middle-class families are actually rich and want to punish them for that,” she added. “The income thresholds are subject to change at any time, and families can't plan for their futures with the potential for such big tax increases looming.”

Elik said she plans to work as hard as she can to make voters are aware of what a progressive tax system will truly mean for the already deeply troubled state.

“Changing Illinois’ current flat tax rate to a progressive tax may have severe consequences for retirees who have planned for decades to be able to retire and now may be faced with unplanned taxes as a result of the progressive tax possibly passing,” she said. “As I talk to voters, I want them to know that I am a CPA and have worked with small businesses and families for 25 years and that my experience tells me that the tax and spend policies that the Democrats have championed for years have now come to a tipping point. Illinois cannot afford the financial disaster that state leaders have put us in, and we have to make smart decisions going forward, including not taxing people to the point that they move out of state.”