Macon Reporter

Rep. Adam Niemerg recently took to social media to criticize the way Democrats have been raising taxes, saying that it is time to reduce taxes in Illinois to give the residents a break.

“The most basic rule of budgeting is that you can't spend more than you take in. Instead of following this simple principle, Democrats have been "balancing" their out-of-control spending by raising taxes,” Niemerg said on Facebook. “Our residents deserve relief. It's time to rein in state spending, get our fiscal house in order, and finally reduce taxes in Illinois.”

Niemerg shared a link to a report by Capitol News Illinois, which said there wouldn’t be enough revenue soon to keep up with the amount of spending the state has planned. The report stated: "In the highest-spending scenario outlined in the three-year forecast from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, the state could once again face a bill backlog as high as $18 billion. That estimate assumes spending growth at its five-year average of 7.1 percent. If the state keeps spending growth at 1.8 percent – the most austere scenario outlined by the commission – it could maintain an accounts payable balance of $1.4 billion, the same as it was at the end of Fiscal Year 2022.”

On Feb. 15 Niemerg spoke out against the proposed budget by Gov. J.B. Pritzker for Fiscal Year 2024.

“This governor proposes no significant structural changes to our spending pressures under this budget. No permanent property tax relief has been extended, and no regulatory relief has been implemented. His priorities are his ‘woke wish list’ which includes expanding abortions in Illinois and enticing women and girls from other states to come to Illinois for abortions."

Niemerg added, “Everyone can see how poorly run state programs are: our child welfare agency, veterans’ home disease outbreaks, and abuse and neglect at facilities for the developmentally disabled are but a few recent examples under the Pritzker Administration. Each of these situations has ended with tragic results. My Republican colleagues and I are here to work. We want to make reforms to state government to fund our shared priorities and keep government functioning effectively by living within our means. But that doesn’t mean that Republicans will be willing accomplices in setting up residents for tax hikes to fund new social programs and spending we cannot afford.”

According to Capitol News Illinois, the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability modeled four scenarios that showed the state will spend more money than it takes in over the next three years. The estimates for deficits varied between $500 and $9.1 billion by 2026.