We should all be appalled at the lack of fiscal responsibility from our politicians. The incoming Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson is no different. On Thursday, he appeared on CBS News and tried to dodge questions about raising taxes in the city.
Johnson defeated Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas in a runoff race Tuesday, who accused Johnson of wanting to “defund the police”.
Johnson talked about increasing community services such as health care and youth employment in an effort to reduce crime, as well as the need for police. He also called for more social workers, counselors and EMTs to assist police.
When asked by CBS News host Vladimir Duthiers how he would pay for the additional services, Johnson said he would not raise property taxes. He went on to say that President Biden indicated in his State of the Union address that a teacher and a firefighter should not pay the same tax rate as a millionaire and a billionaire.
When pressed further, Johnson said he would “find the revenue from individuals that have the means to actually contribute to a safer city”. He further stated that 70 percent of large corporations in the state of Illinois did not pay a corporate tax.
It seems like Johnson is yet another weak on crime Democrat who wants to raise taxes but won’t say it outright. There is nothing wrong with wanting to increase community services, but we have to ensure that it will be paid for responsibly. I don’t think raising taxes is the answer, especially when there are other ways to increase revenue.
Johnson is just another Democrat who is more concerned with his own political gain than the financial health of the city. He should take a hard look at the budget and find cost savings before resorting to raising taxes. The people are stretched BEYOND breaking already!
It’s time for politicians to start taking fiscal responsibility seriously and stop using tax hikes as a political tool.
