Tax for Illinois, Ohio, Mexico, Wars, and Malls October 1, 2009 Joseph Bishop-Henchman Joseph Bishop-Henchman Illinois Governor Pat Quinn proposes a cigarette tax hike as a “short term solution” and an income tax hike as a “long term solution.” Illinois is not exactly known for its low taxes as it is. Ohio Governor wants to freeze a phased-in-over-five-years income tax reduction in its third year. The income tax cuts were the sugar in return for Ohio adopting the bitter Commercial Activities Tax (CAT), a destructive gross receipts tax. The suspension would increase taxes by $850 million. Mexican President Felipe Calderon proposes a 2% sales tax hike. His legislative opponents want him to exempt food and medicine, which is a big part of the sales tax base anywhere, let alone Mexico. PLUS, a tax is proposed to fund war, and a tax is passed to fund a mall. Joseph Thorndike says hawks should love the war tax because they think it’s a just cause, and doves should love it because people will balk at the cost of the war. Of course, doves will hate the war tax because they don’t think it’s a just cause, and hawks will hate it because they think people will balk at the cost. And the mall tax is simply corporate welfare. Stay informed on the tax policies impacting you. Subscribe to get insights from our trusted experts delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe Share Tweet Share Email Topics Illinois Ohio Tags State Tax and Spending Policy
