Chicago City Wire

The Illinois Manufacturers' Association is among the business organizations that is strongly putting pressure for the rejection of  Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposal to decouple Illinois tax law from federal law.  

The changes he is proposing, according to Pritzker, would save Illinois half-a-billion dollars during a budget crisis. The state currently has a $3.9 billion budget deficit. The idea surfaced during the first day of the General Assembly’s lame-duck session.

IMA and other business groups opposing the decoupling proposal are calling on the governor to not pursue it.

“We urge the Governor and legislature to reject this massive tax increase at a time when thousands of small businesses across the entire state are struggling to stay afloat during a pandemic and government-imposed shutdowns,” the group said. “This will have a dramatic impact on every aspect of business, including some of our most decimated industries. We understand the desire to find revenue, but this is the opposite of an ‘all-in’ approach.”

Among IMA’s advocacies are to establish a strong manufacturing climate in Illinois, develop a tax system that promotes manufacturing including creating a modern and stable RND incentive, championing robust energy policies, and creating a 21st-century workforce such as establishing a pipeline of qualified workers.