Sangamon Sun

Gubernatorial contender Daniel Biss has joined the Democratic crowd in seeking tax hikes to pay for Illinois' problems, the Illinois Republican Party said recently.

The GOP posted an interview of Biss with Chicago's WTTW in which he voiced support for doing “what’s needed” in the short term in response to a question about increasing taxes.

WTTW asked if Biss is willing to put an immediate, across-the-board tax increase in place following a discussion about his proposed progressive tax constitutional amendment, which would allow wealthier residents to be taxed at a higher rate.

“We can’t afford to wait a minute longer than we have to to get a balanced budget that properly funds our priorities,” Biss said. “And so on the way to amending the constitution -- enabling ourselves to have a fair tax system that will finally allow us to ask the richest Illinois residents to pay their share -- we have to be willing to make some compromises. We have to be willing to sit down and put everything on the table and do what’s needed.”

The GOP said that Biss has joined the ranks of Speaker of the House Michael Madigan and fellow Democratic gubernatorial contender J.B. Pritzker in calling to raise taxes rather than instituting reforms.