Well done, Pocket Change, I can't help but marvel at that list. It actually takes quite a bit of creativity to figure out how to extract as much money out of people as possible without actually raising the income tax (and potentially ending their political careers).
Which gets me to my point. It's ludicrous to simply evaluate a state based on the income taxes when you have a laundry list of other incidental taxes (i.e. if you get out of bed and walk out the door, you'll wind up running into those taxes everywhere). So the total tax bite, combined with the escalation in various fees, transit costs, parking costs, etc, which are just part and parcel the same thing are astronomical.
But here is the kicker: even AFTER these buffoons have created every tax known to mankind, the State of Illinois is so fucking broke that they owe 771 million in tax refunds to businesses, the VERY SAME businesses they now want to pay a 66% increase in corporate taxes.
You would think that, in theory, any state that could spend so much time figuring out HOW to tax everything could actually spend some time figuring out what to do with all those extorted profits. But instead it's become crystal clear that the public sector assholes funnel that money straight into their coffers to pay out six figure guaranteed pensions. Meanwhile, the state universities are owed millions, businesses are owed millions and the state sells off its parking meters, its tollways, etc...STILL NOT ENOUGH TO CLOSE THEIR BUDGET GAP.
The moral of the story is that raising taxes, creating new taxes motivates consumers, businesses, etc to either:
A) Figure out an alternative.
B) Travel across state lines and purchase the items elsewhere
C) Purchase it online and avoid those taxes altogether
D) Move elsewhere.
I suppose the biggest fools of all are the bean counters who run these proposed budget inflows that convince the low IQ politicians that this will somehow help matters. It never does, instead the spending continues unabated and more "creative" taxing methods are proposed and ultimately approved.
(btw, that cigarette tax is so absurd its laughable. I can remember when cigarettes were expensive at $2.00 per pack 20 years ago).
