Metro East Sun

The country’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has been uneven, with Illinois coming in near the bottom of the pack in terms of unemployment. Republican candidates and elected officials say the state’s high taxes and rigid regulations are to blame.

"We need leaders willing to take the bold steps necessary to jumpstart our economy, make Illinois more affordable for working families, and protect the industries that provide the good jobs we have right now,” Erica Harriss, a Republican running for State Senate IL-56, told Metro East Sun.

Illinois has been slow to recover from the pandemic’s toll on the economy. It still has 80,000 fewer jobs than it did before the COVID shutdowns, Illinois Policy reports, and it has the third-highest unemployment rate in the nation at 4.4%. 

"As a small business owner, I understand the challenges that businesses face in our state,” Harriss said. “In the State Senate, I will strongly advocate for immediate tax relief, will absolutely oppose taxing your retirement, and will proudly defend the jobs of workers in our fossil fuel and steel industries from Democrat attacks.”

With policy decisions that have exacerbated the threat of recession, Illinois will be put in a difficult position as the flexibility of the state’s budget is minimal due to pension obligations and a $1.8 billion unemployment trust fund deficit, Illinois Policy reports. 

“Based on these new economic indicators, Illinois is lagging behind, but there is no excuse for it and if we don’t act now, we will continue to lose precious businesses and families to other states,” Harriss said. “I look forward to taking my record of cutting taxes.” 

As of July 1, Illinois had a combined state and local tax rate of 8.73% ranking eighth in the nation. The state tax rate is 6.25% and the average local tax rate is 2.48%, though it can be as high as 5.25%. 

Since the start of COVID-19, Illinois has spent nearly $5 billion fighting negative economic implications of lockdowns. The $5 billion spent was a part of congress' State and Local Recovery Fund Relief Package approved by the Biden administration. The money was intended to stabilize state budgets and finance operating costs to maintain public service costs. 

In 2020, Madison County ranks sixth in the state for Real GDP at 12,986,578 (thousands of chained 2012 dollars) down 2.7%% from 2019, according to the Bureau of Economic Statistics.