The 6,165 retirees in Monroe County could pay as much as $4,152.26 in state income taxes if voters approve Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s graduated tax hike amendment on Nov. 3, according to an analysis by the SW Illinois News.
Countywide, the graduated tax plan could raise as much as $9,659,880 from retiree taxes. And statewide, such retiree taxes could raise more than $3 billion, according to the analysis.
The analysis calculates the total state income tax that would be paid if Illinois retirees were required to pay tax rates between 4.7 and 9.3 percent on their income.
The median state income tax across 50 states is 4.7 percent. Non-retiree Illinoisans currently pay 4.95 percent; Pritzker is promising to raise those rates significantly, however.
According to the U.S. Census, Illinois is home to approximately 745,000 senior retiree households, headed by someone over age 65. They currently pay no state income tax on Social Security or pension income.
While Pritzker said the tax hike is aimed at the rich, it can be applied to any demographic, including retirees.
“The definition of ‘rich retirees’ is fluid,” Illinois Policy reported. “Retirement taxes even have been discussed for those making $15,000.”
In fact, retirees are taxed in all 32 states that have a progressive tax.
Pritzker says his proposal, which would amend the Illinois State Constitution to allow state leaders to pass unlimited state income tax rates on people by class, job or location, is intended to increase tax revenue to fund higher salaries and richer pensions to public employees.
He expects higher income taxes to fund a 25 percent increase in the annual state budget — an increase of $10 billion in state income taxes paid, and spending, per year..
Currently, state income tax hikes must be paid by all taxpayers and cannot be limited to specific groups, like small business owners or retirees.
Seven states now do not tax any individual income: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
Two other states – New Hampshire and Tennessee – impose only income taxes on dividends and interest.
Three states exempt pension income entirely for qualified individuals: Illinois, Mississippi and Pennsylvania.
Pension income is taxed in Arizona, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Vermont and West Virginia.
Pritzker is hoping voters approve an amendment to the state constitution that would make state income tax rates unlimited and would allow legislators to extend income taxes to senior retirement income.
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How Much More Could Seniors Pay in Your County?
| Individual / Household | Countywide | ||||
| County | 65+ population | Low | High | Low | High |
| Adams County | 13,218 | $1,678.09 | $3,320.47 | $9,090,571 | $17,987,694 |
| Alexander County | 1,262 | $1,630.99 | $3,227.29 | $872,165 | $1,725,780 |
| Bond County | 3,055 | $2,189.92 | $4,333.24 | $2,708,585 | $5,359,534 |
| Boone County | 8,460 | $1,919.39 | $3,797.93 | $5,717,620 | $11,313,552 |
| Brown County | 914 | $1,909.38 | $3,778.13 | $739,480 | $1,463,225 |
| Bureau County | 7,146 | $1,933.16 | $3,825.18 | $5,592,859 | $11,066,695 |
| Calhoun County | 1,104 | $1,747.84 | $3,458.48 | $784,396 | $1,552,098 |
| Carroll County | 3,648 | $1,905.29 | $3,770.03 | $2,872,107 | $5,683,087 |
| Cass County | 2,162 | $2,042.81 | $4,042.15 | $1,752,601 | $3,467,908 |
| Champaign County | 26,840 | $2,537.25 | $5,020.51 | $29,227,378 | $57,832,828 |
| Christian County | 6,428 | $1,673.06 | $3,310.52 | $4,462,419 | $8,829,885 |
| Clark County | 3,073 | $1,896.03 | $3,751.71 | $2,427,708 | $4,803,752 |
| Clay County | 2,676 | $1,667.89 | $3,300.29 | $1,851,981 | $3,664,554 |
| Clinton County | 6,461 | $1,959.05 | $3,876.43 | $4,868,239 | $9,632,929 |
| Coles County | 8,555 | $1,928.55 | $3,816.07 | $7,142,314 | $14,132,675 |
| Cook County | 751,934 | $1,904.39 | $3,768.27 | $534,319,250 | $1,057,272,513 |
| Crawford County | 3,528 | $1,677.29 | $3,318.89 | $2,455,386 | $4,858,524 |
| Cumberland County | 2,110 | $1,665.16 | $3,294.90 | $1,377,838 | $2,726,368 |
| De Witt County | 3,002 | $1,970.80 | $3,899.68 | $2,311,071 | $4,572,984 |
| DeKalb County | 13,217 | $2,391.78 | $4,732.68 | $12,955,802 | $25,635,997 |
| Douglas County | 3,523 | $2,068.71 | $4,093.40 | $2,813,925 | $5,567,972 |
| DuPage County | 143,053 | $2,717.73 | $5,377.63 | $142,410,048 | $281,789,782 |
| Edgar County | 3,741 | $1,834.60 | $3,630.16 | $2,859,683 | $5,658,512 |
| Edwards County | 1,375 | $1,735.29 | $3,433.65 | $1,006,761 | $1,992,097 |
| Effingham County | 6,019 | $1,974.56 | $3,907.12 | $4,571,106 | $9,044,983 |
| Fayette County | 4,054 | $1,694.68 | $3,353.30 | $2,792,778 | $5,526,129 |
| Ford County | 2,437 | $1,671.56 | $3,307.55 | $1,662,690 | $3,290,000 |
| Franklin County | 7,886 | $1,456.39 | $2,881.79 | $4,908,159 | $9,711,879 |
| Fulton County | 707 | $1,938.00 | $3,834.76 | $570,903 | $1,129,656 |
| Gallatin County | 1,125 | $1,586.25 | $3,138.75 | $762,620 | $1,509,014 |
| Greene County | 2,542 | $1,557.49 | $3,081.83 | $1,577,346 | $3,121,120 |
| Grundy County | 7,199 | $2,142.21 | $4,238.85 | $5,931,450 | $11,736,724 |
| Hamilton County | 1,769 | $1,498.13 | $2,964.38 | $1,090,614 | $2,158,020 |
| Hancock County | 4,108 | $1,809.69 | $3,580.87 | $3,034,370 | $6,004,169 |
| Hardin County | 982 | $1,640.35 | $3,245.79 | $700,358 | $1,385,811 |
| Henderson County | 1,668 | $1,892.88 | $3,745.48 | $1,304,679 | $2,581,595 |
| Henry County | 9,929 | $1,838.59 | $3,638.07 | $7,273,052 | $14,391,393 |
| Iroquois County | 5,857 | $1,775.85 | $3,513.91 | $4,143,886 | $8,199,590 |
| Jackson County | 891 | $2,034.21 | $4,025.13 | $820,127 | $1,622,801 |
| Jasper County | 186 | $1,839.44 | $3,639.74 | $134,171 | $265,487 |
| Jefferson County | 7,198 | $1,860.78 | $3,681.96 | $5,489,301 | $10,861,782 |
| Jersey County | 4,246 | $1,974.00 | $3,906.00 | $3,261,325 | $6,453,259 |
| Jo Daviess County | 5,967 | $2,076.08 | $4,108.00 | $5,161,654 | $10,213,515 |
| Johnson County | 2,670 | $1,838.41 | $3,637.70 | $2,019,981 | $3,996,979 |
| Kane County | 72,939 | $2,398.97 | $4,746.91 | $58,915,311 | $116,577,397 |
| Kankakee County | 18,567 | $1,840.52 | $3,641.88 | $13,093,078 | $25,907,581 |
| Kendall County | 1,329 | $2,390.04 | $4,729.24 | $1,099,088 | $2,174,796 |
| Knox County | 10,735 | $1,702.53 | $3,368.83 | $7,844,060 | $15,521,197 |
| Lake County | 98,908 | $2,790.63 | $5,521.88 | $95,838,761 | $189,638,232 |
| LaSalle County | 20,538 | $1,879.44 | $3,718.88 | $15,501,983 | $30,674,039 |
| Lawrence County | 2,728 | $1,648.62 | $3,262.16 | $1,905,693 | $3,770,836 |
| Lee County | 6,683 | $1,936.02 | $3,830.86 | $5,196,153 | $10,281,782 |
| Livingston County | 6,844 | $1,969.54 | $3,897.17 | $5,370,331 | $10,626,387 |
| Logan County | 5,237 | $2,107.10 | $4,169.38 | $4,559,869 | $9,022,745 |
| Macon County | 20,802 | $1,976.68 | $3,911.30 | $18,034,604 | $35,685,466 |
| Macoupin County | 8,940 | $1,915.72 | $3,790.68 | $5,926,137 | $11,726,187 |
| Madison County | 45,230 | $1,992.71 | $3,943.01 | $36,787,867 | $72,792,793 |
| Marion County | 7,329 | $1,729.98 | $3,423.14 | $5,305,031 | $10,497,152 |
| Marshall County | 2,688 | $2,058.18 | $4,072.56 | $2,230,802 | $4,414,130 |
| Mason County | 2,966 | $1,641.10 | $3,247.28 | $1,962,703 | $3,883,642 |
| Massac County | 2,892 | $1,394.11 | $2,758.57 | $1,645,619 | $3,256,239 |
| McDonough County | 5,224 | $1,866.46 | $3,693.22 | $3,947,525 | $7,811,086 |
| McHenry County | 44,935 | $2,478.64 | $4,904.54 | $44,910,358 | $88,865,123 |
| McLean County | 22,640 | $2,353.57 | $4,657.07 | $22,483,048 | $44,487,791 |
| Menard County | 2,366 | $2,357.94 | $4,665.72 | $2,213,844 | $4,380,593 |
| Mercer County | 3,350 | $1,932.73 | $3,824.35 | $2,559,148 | $5,063,863 |
| Monroe County | 6,165 | $2,098.46 | $4,152.26 | $4,881,889 | $9,659,880 |
| Montgomery County | 5,740 | $1,705.02 | $3,373.76 | $4,010,990 | $7,936,632 |
| Morgan County | 6,732 | $1,913.18 | $3,785.66 | $5,434,400 | $10,753,191 |
| Moultrie County | 2,741 | $2,125.58 | $4,205.93 | $2,275,865 | $4,503,302 |
| Ogle County | 9,470 | $2,000.18 | $3,957.80 | $7,229,658 | $14,305,483 |
| Peoria County | 30,640 | $2,070.07 | $4,096.09 | $26,101,623 | $51,647,818 |
| Perry County | 3,890 | $1,636.21 | $3,237.61 | $2,619,283 | $5,182,841 |
| Piatt County | 3,171 | $2,160.07 | $4,274.19 | $2,739,833 | $5,421,383 |
| Pike County | 3,268 | $1,604.72 | $3,175.30 | $2,167,035 | $4,287,967 |
| Pope County | 1,170 | $1,762.50 | $3,487.50 | $885,032 | $1,751,234 |
| Pulaski County | 1,195 | $1,292.50 | $2,557.50 | $633,007 | $1,252,546 |
| Putnam County | 1,297 | $2,201.15 | $4,355.47 | $1,132,893 | $2,241,684 |
| Randolph County | 5,911 | $1,824.45 | $3,610.07 | $4,383,872 | $8,674,441 |
| Richland County | 3,180 | $1,685.04 | $3,334.24 | $2,232,678 | $4,417,868 |
| Rock Island County | 27,383 | $1,960.14 | $3,878.57 | $22,552,317 | $44,624,740 |
| Saline County | 4,769 | $1,556.50 | $3,079.88 | $2,866,003 | $5,671,022 |
| Sangamon County | 34,846 | $2,381.30 | $4,711.94 | $35,766,715 | $70,772,526 |
| Schuyler County | 1,543 | $1,889.78 | $3,739.34 | $1,235,564 | $2,444,831 |
| Scott County | 985 | $1,759.40 | $3,481.36 | $728,155 | $1,440,815 |
| Shelby County | 4,868 | $1,692.94 | $3,349.86 | $3,336,531 | $6,602,072 |
| St. Clair County | 41,030 | $1,943.59 | $3,845.83 | $31,898,199 | $63,117,762 |
| Stark County | 1,191 | $2,022.13 | $4,001.23 | $979,007 | $1,937,181 |
| Stephenson County | 10,101 | $1,893.25 | $3,746.23 | $7,869,843 | $15,572,292 |
| Tazewell County | 24,779 | $2,264.18 | $4,480.18 | $22,531,774 | $44,584,088 |
| Union County | 3,564 | $1,776.55 | $3,515.31 | $2,660,346 | $5,264,103 |
| Vermilion County | 14,621 | $1,928.03 | $3,815.05 | $11,648,647 | $23,049,523 |
| Wabash County | 238 | $1,782.10 | $3,526.28 | $172,415 | $341,160 |
| Warren County | 3,285 | $1,828.68 | $3,618.44 | $2,461,973 | $4,871,547 |
| Washington County | 2,791 | $1,792.77 | $3,547.39 | $1,962,204 | $3,882,653 |
| Wayne County | 3,486 | $1,685.66 | $3,335.45 | $2,479,414 | $4,906,067 |
| White County | 2,924 | $1,666.57 | $3,297.69 | $2,127,970 | $4,210,675 |
| Whiteside County | 11,532 | $1,925.17 | $3,809.37 | $8,845,044 | $17,501,855 |
| Will County | 90,487 | $2,394.13 | $4,737.33 | $73,686,273 | $145,805,027 |
| Williamson County | 12,653 | $1,601.10 | $3,168.14 | $8,620,731 | $17,058,075 |
| Winnebago County | 49,450 | $1,883.43 | $3,726.79 | $36,812,495 | $72,841,805 |
| Woodford County | 6,961 | $2,517.70 | $4,981.82 | $6,515,134 | $12,891,617 |
| TOTAL | 1,949,852 | $1,551,646,582 | $3,070,281,611 | ||
Sources: U.S. Census, Illinois Department of Revenue
