This is exactly what we’ve been building for. Thanks to your help, we’ve made Fair Tax legislation – with lower tax rates for lower incomes and higher rates for higher incomes – a top agenda item in Springfield for the 2014 legislative session!

Since we began A Better Illinois last summer, the grassroots and community support from every corner of the state has been tremendous:

• More than 150,000 petition signatures collected statewide from every single legislative district – Republican and Democrat – across Illinois
• Support from more than 350 prominent civic and community organizations endorsing A Better Illinois’ campaign

• Commitments from 64 legislative co-sponsors of Fair Tax legislation

But now we face our toughest test yet. There’s a reason Springfield hasn’t enacted long-term, structural reform to fix a budgeting process 92% of Illinoisans believe is broken: powerful special interests that help big corporations and the rich get special treatment to avoid paying their fair share.

Let me give you a glimpse of what we’re up against here. A recent news report revealed leaked secret documents showing out-of-state billionaires (led by the Koch brothers) spending tens of thousands of dollars on – in their own words – the “back drop for a campaign” to spin a Fair Tax to the people of Illinois as “politically toxic.”

It’s the voters of Illinois who should decide what’s best for us—and 77% of Illinois residents support a Fair Tax, with lower tax rates for lower incomes and higher rates for higher incomes. That’s right, more than 3 out of 4 Illinois voters(!), and yet big corporations and out-of-state billionaires think they can call the shots so that they and their rich friends can bleed the taxpayers.

For Illinois voters to decide on the upcoming November ballot, we must get politicians in Springfield to pass Fair Tax legislation by May 4th of this year. In the coming weeks, we will be holding events all across Illinois in key legislative districts. And we will continue to call on grassroots supporters like you to overcome the big money and powerful interests defending a broken status quo.

Thanks again for all that you’ve done and continue to do in support of this historic campaign to build A Better Illinois.

Kristen Crowell

Campaign Director

A Better Illinois

P.S. Please take a moment to contact your legislators in Springfield and tell them to support a Fair Tax with lower rates for lower incomes and higher rates for higher incomes. Hearing from you directly makes a huge difference!