Former Republican congressional candidate Dr. Jeff Leef says the progressive income-tax system that Illinoisans will vote on in November is intentionally difficult to wrap one's arms around.

“First, there is nothing progressive about the progressive tax,” Leef told West Cook News of the system Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been aggressively pushing as a 'fair tax' since his days as a candidate. “It does, however, achieve what our dishonest friends on the left always strive for – to bamboozle weak-minded liberals by making it appear that they care about the less fortunate.”

Voters will have their say on the matter when the question of whether an amendment to the state constitution should be made that would allow a change from the current flat tax to the progressive, or graduated, system will appear on the ballot. Pritzker has been trying to sell the measure as a tax hike that will affect only the state's wealthiest residents. 

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker

Leef, who previously ran against U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Chicago) in the 7th District, leaves little doubt about how he will vote – and how he hopes other Illinoisans will vote as well.

“Despite the fact that no so-called progressive tax has ever come close to achieving the pie-in-the sky claims of its rotten creators, their ultimate goal is to punish the evil rich,” Leef said. “The fake numbers that the governor has regurgitated are based on the ludicrous assumption that the same amount of money that he steals from the wealthy this coming year will be collected each year for over a decade.”

Revenues in California have been barely half of what was promised when it first appeared on the ballot there, and Connecticut has lost more than $10 billion and 360,000 jobs since switching to a progressive income-tax rate. Leef insists things would be no different for the residents of Illinois, with the middle class especially feeling the strain.

“Only a constitutional amendment cementing in place a permanent fixed tax rate while eliminating all loopholes would fix the problem,” Leef said.