Pritzker Trolls Indiana Over Stadium Tax Hike Proposal
Governor JB Pritzker speaking at a news conference on Chicago’s south side Tuesday. (Photo: Governor’s office)
Governor JB Pritzker Tuesday took aim at Indiana lawmakers over tax increases in a bill aimed at luring the Chicago Bears across state lines into the Hoosier State.
We reported Tuesday Morning a fiscal analysis of the legislation showed new taxes in Lake and Porter Counties for food and beverage, hotels, and a new admissions tax in the City of Hammond, where the new stadium would be located.
Pritzker, speaking at an event on Chicago’s south side, took a shot at Indiana for using taxpayer dollars to pay for the stadium proposal.
“I’m very interested to see how the people of Indiana and the voters of Indiana feel about the massive increases in taxes that are being proposed about paying for a stadium in Indiana for the Chicago Bears,” he said. “Do they want to raise their taxes to pay for a stadium in the state of Indiana for the Chicago Bears? We’ll see. That’s a question for people who live in Indiana. Here in Illinois, we continue to have really positive discussions with the Chicago Bears. And I think you’re going to see progress over time here.”
The Indiana House passed the bill 95-4 Tuesday. It still needs Senate concurrence before Friday to head to the Governor’s desk.
The team indicated it wanted an Illinois deal in place before the Indiana legislative session ends Friday. The PILOT, or mega projects bill, is still assigned to committee but it isn’t clear if it will be called this week. No amendment has been posted as of late Tuesday night.
“I’m a Chicago Bears fan. I believe very much that they ought to be based in Illinois,” he said. “I’m going to do everything I can without harming the taxpayers of the state of Illinois in the process of making sure that we do everything we can to keep them in the state.”
