WNIJ news – Illinois' income tax is one step away from going up. Lawmakers have approved a 67-percent hike on personal incomes. The plan also calls for an increase in corporate taxes. Governor, Pat Quinn, supports the plan and is expected to sign the measure. Those who voted for the bill say Illinois is running dangerously close to financial ruin, and that additional revenue is needed right away. Opponents say the tax hike will hurt families, and will also be a jobs killer. Under the proposal, a large portion of the tax hike would expire in four years. For a person making $50-thousand dollars a year, they would pay about $900-dollars in additional taxes annually. A key provision of the financial plan, property tax relief, was removed. A plan to raise the cigarette tax also failed.
Meanwhile, a repeal of capital punishment in Illinois is now on its way to the governor's desk. Supporters of the move say the criminal justice system is unable to prevent innocent people from winding up on death row. Opponents say certain crimes demand the death penalty. Governor Quinn has not said whether he will sign the bill. A moratorium on executions in Illinois has been in place for nearly a decade.