Cash Tax Credits for Illinoisans

Our campaigns put cash directly in Illinoisan's pockets.

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Vision

Vision

What we do in Illinois has special meaning for the rest of the country, because Illinois is a microcosm of the country. We are the state most demographically representative of the USA as a whole, in terms of race, wealth, and urban-rural-suburban distribution. In the great Chicago tradition of community organizing, we aim to make sure that Illinois’s economy is inclusive and equitable and gives people agency over their lives–setting an example for the rest of the country to follow.

Challenge

Challenge

Illinois might appear to be a liberal bastion in the heart of the Midwest, but appearances can be deceiving. Decades of mismanagement and disinvestment have led to Illinois being the state with the worst fiscal health in the USA. As of 2021, Illinois’ tax code was ranked in the top 10 most regressive in the country. We must change that.  

What We Do

What We Do

We advance policy solutions to make Illinois’ economy the most equitable and inclusive in the country. The policy solutions we promote include: a guaranteed income and cash transfer policies that give cash to people who need it; equitable taxation structures, including a state Child Tax Credit and an expansion of the existing state Earned Income Tax Credit; and a Future of Work that serves both workers and employers by offering higher pay, safer working conditions, and a modernized social safety net. 

Impact

Impact

Since 2019, we have moved over $1 billion in public funding into the pockets of low-, middle-, and no-income Illinoisans. We have supported and enacted two of the nation’s three largest guaranteed income programs, in the City of Chicago and in Cook County, Illinois. We’ve also enacted multiple one-time direct cash transfer programs, in partnership with grassroots organizations, immigrant advocates, and local governments. And we were behind an historic expansion of the State of Illinois’ Earned Income Credit, making it available to nearly one million more residents, regardless of age or immigration status, and increasing it for all 4.5+ million working-class Illinoisans who receive the credit.

People

People