LIKE the cost of living, the cost of state government 

 is up. Away up. Today, Illinois is spending more 

 of your money faster than it ever did before. More 

 than twice as fast as it did 10 years ago. Just 21 

 years ago, state government cost Illinois taxpayers 

 $75,000,000 a year. 



The two-year budget for 1948-49 is $822,l64,l60. 

 Appropriations, that is, funds assigned for a particular pur- 

 pose, are even higher than the budget . . . running slightly 

 more than one billion dollars. 



But 21 years ago the taxpayers didn't expect the state 

 to do as many things for them as they do today. At that 

 time local governments took care of their own old people, 

 their blind, their poor, their widows and orphans. It didn't 

 cost the state government a nickel. As for schools, the 

 state spent less than a tenth of what it spends today. 



For 1948 and 1949, the cost of old age pensions and 

 other public aid alone will run about $106,000,000 annually, 

 more than the state spent in 1930 for all purposes. 



Where The 1947 State Dollar 

 Came From . . . 



• (Fiscal Year ending June 30. 194") 



By JIM THOMSON 



Asf't Editor, lAA RECORD 



"Newer taxes and more taxes" is the bleak prediction 

 by the Illinois Taxpayers Federation if the state goes the 

 limit on its spending power for 1948-49. 



What or who is responsible for Illinois' increasing 

 spending.' As we said before, for one thing, costs have 

 gone up since 1939. It costs more to support the govern- 

 ment just as it costs more to support your home. 



As to who is responsible, perhaps you are to some ex- 

 tent. You are if you have supported the need for higher 

 old age and blind pensions, better care for our dependent 

 children, better care for inmates of our state institutions, 

 and more money for education. You are if you voted to 

 give Illinois veterans the bonus which will require the sale 

 of $385,000,000 in state bonds. You are if you didn't vote 

 at all because you defaulted when you had a chance to ex- 

 press your opinion. 



The cost of state government is the concern of every 

 taxpayer. It is of particular concern today when county, 

 city, and village officials, as well as school boards in big and 

 little communities throughout Illinois are struggling with 

 the problem of making ends meet. Most are considering or 

 have considered new sources of revenue. 



Burdened by financial difficulties, Chicago has led the 

 fight to get the state to turn back to the cities one-fourth of 

 the money the state collects from the retailers' occupation 

 tax, commonly known as the sales tax. 



The Illinois Agricultural Association is strongly op- 

 posed to this diversion of the sales tax to the cities. The 

 lAA maintains that counties, townships, school districts, and 

 all other local governments have the same problem of in- 

 creased costs. 



"The sales tax," says an lAA resolution approved by 

 the board of delegates to the last annual convention, "is 

 paid by all citizens, not merely those living within the 

 corporate limits of cities. It would be unfair to pay over 

 to cities taxes which have been paid by all citizens, many 

 of whom reside outside the corporate limits of a city." 



Meanwhile the state administration is resisting all ef- 

 forts to divert income from the sales tax to the cities. It 

 maintains that all of the revenue from the sales tax is neces- 

 sary to meet the rising costs of state government. 



Local officials argue that with revenues greater (sales 

 tax revenue was $66,483,484 in 1941; $139,945,578 in 

 1947) the state should have more funds to give to local 

 governments. The state administration answers that rising 

 costs are keeping pace with income. 



Gov. Dwight Green has suggested that "The cities also 

 have the further alternative of curtailing unnecessary ex- 

 penses and less essential expenses to meet added costs of the 



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L A. A. RECORD 



