Our neighborhoods need a Fair Tax
Flat tax has worsened inequality, segregation in Chicago and across state
The former Park Manor Theater in Chicago has since been converted into a church. (Flickr/Eric Allix Rogers)
By Dr. Dorian Warren and Harish I. Patel
We both grew up in Chicago. The drive from Dorian’s home in Park Manor to Harish’s home in Albany Park wove through a divided city. From the South Side to the Northwest Side, we’d pass rich neighborhoods, poor neighborhoods, Latino neighborhoods, Black neighborhoods, White neighborhoods. The segregation was stark. It still is today.
Stark segregation is a physical marker of the decisions a wealthy few made for us all. This power imbalance has been baked into the state’s tax code. A recent report from the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy determined that Illinois’s flat income tax stripped $4 billion from Black and Hispanic communities over the past 20 years. At the same time, the state’s highest-income households (mostly White) saved $27 billion in tax payments, which if invested is worth $50 billion today.
Under that system, it is no wonder that some neighborhoods thrive while others, like ours, suffer.
This November, we have a chance to make a fundamental change in Illinois’s economy. We can choose to make our state tax system much fairer, so families have enough to make ends meet in every neighborhood.
By passing the Fair Tax Amendment, we can ensure that the top 3 percent of wage earners — those who make more than $250,000 a year — pay more and contribute their fair share. Everyone else — working families who make $250,000 a year or less — will get a tax cut.
The wealthy few and a handful of corporations have mounted a well-funded campaign opposing the Fair Tax. Their intent is to divide us against each other, hoping we’ll look the other way so they can continue to reap the benefits of our contributions while refusing to pay their share. Don’t be fooled.
People in our communities know it’s the workers and patrons who make the local economy run, not the 3 percent who reap their profits. Fairer taxation will put those dollars back into the hands of hard-working people in communities across Illinois.
Across the state, people of different races and income brackets all want similar things. We want main streets with innovative businesses built and run by people from the neighborhood. We want preventive health care, where we can see a doctor without fear of going bankrupt or worse. We want schools with up-to-date books, computers, dedicated teachers, healthy meals, and emotional support to set our kids up to be all that they dream. We want to have a safe home to raise our kids and pursue our dreams, regardless of our zip code.
A brighter future for all Illinois is possible. It’s going to take resilience, grit, and investment. Part of that investment requires passing the Fair Tax Amendment on Nov. 3.
With your strong yes on Fair Tax, we can get Illinois back on track and working for all of us. We make the future by joining together as voters. On Nov. 3, be a Fair Tax Voter.
Dr. Dorian Warren was raised on the South Side of Chicago and is now president of Community Change. Harish I. Patel is the director of Economic Security for Illinois. Learn more at EconomicSecurityIL.org.