McAloon, GOP prioritize relief for taxpayers

McAloon

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BOURBONNAIS - Republican candidate for state representative David McAloon would go after immediate property tax relief for Illinois homeowners. “From my point of view, the state's whole taxing system is out of whack,” he noted today. “We're taxing ownership and productivity, and that just doesn't make sense.” McAloon is challenging incumbent State Representative Careen Gordon, D-Morris, for the seat in the 75th Legislative District in the November election. This is his second try for the office, after losing his bid in the GOP primary two years ago. He is joining fellow Republicans in a plan to give immediate property tax relief by increasing the Homestead Exemption from $6,000 to $7,500, and upping the Senior Homestead Exemption from $4,000 to $5,500. The Homestead Exemption is applied against the appraised value of a home to reduce the assessment. Under the GOP plan, a senior's home assessment of $200,000 would be lowered to $187,000, reducing the property taxes paid on the real estate. The plan would also double the income tax credit from 5 percent to 10 percent for the property taxes paid. For example, homeowners who pay $5,500 in property taxes today and receive a tax credit of $275, would see the tax credit double to $550. If he wins the election, McAloon said his one vote as a freshman legislator would be unlikely to accomplish anything in Springfield. “Fortunately, I and a lot of other Republican members are all in agreement this is something we want to do,” he said. “So, it's a caucus and a group effort, it's not just me. This is one of the issues we'll put forward.” McAloon said the GOP members may try to put the plan before the House at the November veto session in Springfield, but that it is highly unlikely the Democrats will go along with the proposal. “Homeowners deserve tax relief and a state government that lives within its means,” he said. “This is a great step, but it's only a first step. We need to take a look at the entire system and rework it because, as it is, it's fundamentally flawed.” For one, McAloon said the numbers in the state budget do not make sense. “If this was a private business, you'd fire your accountant,” he said. “There is no other place in the universe where you can say 1 and 1 equals 3.” McAloon said Gov. Rod Blagojevich did not replace any revenue streams in the current state budget. Instead, the governor is proposing borrowing more money from the state pension fund, he noted. “This is not the way to run government, but the legislature goes along with it,” he said. “They like to blame Blagojevich, but he can't sign or veto a bill that's not been signed by both the House and Senate. “You can't go around saying you're not part of the problem when you helped cause the problem and are propping up the problem. I think the voters know a little better than that.” McAloon said the current tax structure cannot be tweaked into balance. “You can't do it,” he said. “It's just a tangled spaghetti mess.”