
Perhaps nowhere is April 15 -- Tax Day -- tougher on low-income families than in Illinois. As an overall percentage of their earnings, struggling families often pay twice as much as wealthier households do on state and local taxes combined. In fact, national tax experts have called ours one of the most regressive revenue systems in the country.
The Center for Economic Progress strongly endorses Governor Pat Quinn’s effort to offer tax relief to Illinois families. He's proposed simultaneously increasing the income tax's standard exemption to not only shield low- and moderate-income families from increased taxes, but cut their taxes below unfairly high levels that exist today.
It's also important to remember a time-honored policy tool for improving tax fairness, one that has bipartisan support and targets direct relief to the families who need it most -- the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
Though the federal EITC provides low-income, working families with a a well-deserved break on their taxes, the Illinois EITC, worth a maximum of $240, is the second smallest state EITC.
View the Center's position statement.
Read the Letter to the Editor that appeared in the Chicago Tribune.
Mary Ruth Herbers of the Center for Economic Progress explains the importance of the Illinois EITC during an April 2009 press conference in Springfield.
Take action: Ask your Illinois legislators to support Governor Pat Quinn's call for greater tax fairness. Tell them:
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On July 14, David Marzahl, the Center’s president, testified during a hearing of the United States Senate Committee on Finance. The hearing was called to discuss the future of individual tax rates and the effects on economic growth and distribution.
As jobs continue to disappear and wages decline, it’s gotten more and more difficult for hard-working, low-income families to make ends meet. In the midst of these challenging times, the demand for free tax and asset build services has grown. Join at the National Community Tax Coalition (NCTC) Regional Summit in Detroit, Michigan on August 4-5 as we continue working together to make a real impact in the communities we serve.

At the Center, donations come in a variety of forms. From individuals donating their time to help our clients to generous companies providing us with monetary or in-kind support, each donation helps make our mission possible. We encourage you to check out this month's featured donor: Paragon Promotions. For your promotional item needs, visit Paragon Promotions.
The Center for Economic Progress has recently been featured on lifestyle cable network Plum TV as a part of an initiative sponsored by Bank of America to highlight the remarkable efforts of four organizations that are making a big impact in the communities they serve.
The Center for Economic Progress has partnered with Chili's restaurants throughout Illinois as part of the new Chili's Pepper Profit Partner Program. Visit a participating Chili's between December 5 and April 30 the Center will get 10 percent of the total purchase.
The Center for Economic Progress has been awarded a grant by COUNTRY Financial through its Count on COUNTRY Financial grant program. The Center was one of five grant recipients.
With little tax training, low-income families are among the most likely to leave money on the table at tax time. Become a Center volunteer and help offer free tax and financial services to low-income families.
Savings is as important as consumption when it comes to the future economic health and vitality of the U.S. economy. Read more about our savings policy work in our latest policy paper.
During the 2009 tax season, the Center put $52 million back into the pockets of more than 33,000 Illinois families and their communities. Read our Tax & Financial Services Highlights to see how we've helped families use our tax and financial services to get ahead.
The current economic crisis offers a historic opportunity for transformation. Our annual report highlights how we are reimagining our work as we focus on the pocketbook issues of working families.