伊利诺伊州众议员 Jehan Gordon-Booth 呼吁开征百万富翁税：填补68亿美元教育经费缺口
伊利诺伊州众议院助理多数党领袖、来自 Peoria 的民主党众议员 Jehan Gordon-Booth 10月22日在 Peoria 的 Manual High School 对《Journal Star》表示，州政府应开征针对富人的“百万富翁税”，一面填补教育经费缺口，一面减轻业主的房产税负担。“我们需要开征百万富翁税，”她说。她表示，充足的教育经费与房产税问题必须同时认真处理，“房产税正在把人们压垮。”
据伊利诺伊州教育委员会数据，2027年经费达到90%充足标准的学校数量预计连续第三年下降；Capitol News Illinois 测算，全州教育经费充足缺口约68亿美元。该州自2018年起实施循证经费公式（EBF），每年为教育追加3.5亿美元拨款，但 Gordon-Booth 指出，通胀已大幅稀释这笔钱的实际购买力，公式亟须重新评估：“2017、2018、2019年，这3.5亿美元感觉很可观；但大家都知道，2026年的钱远不如2019年值钱。”她当天以“一日校长”身份走访该校，并为 Peoria 公立学校争取到50万美元州拨款，用于增加辅导资源。
背景方面，这类附加税须修改伊利诺伊州宪法：现行宪法规定统一所得税率，相关修宪联合决议今年早些时候在州众议院停滞。库克县选民将在11月3日对一项咨询性公投表态：是否支持对年收入超过100万美元的部分征收3%的附加所得税，收入一半用于房产税减免、一半投入公立教育；该表态不具约束力。2024年全州同类咨询性公投中，约61%的选民表示支持。Chicago 市长 Brandon Johnson 本周也在社交平台表态，称百万富翁税有助于让伊利诺伊州学校获得充足经费。
Illinois Lawmaker Jehan Gordon-Booth Pushes Millionaire Tax to Close $6.8 Billion School Funding Gap
Illinois House Assistant Majority Leader Jehan Gordon-Booth, a Peoria Democrat, told the Journal Star on Oct. 22 at Manual High School in Peoria that Illinois should adopt a tax on millionaires to close the state's education funding gap while easing property taxes on homeowners. “We need to run a millionaire tax,” she said, adding that adequate school funding and property taxes must be tackled at the same time because “property taxes are choking people out.”
According to the Illinois State Board of Education, the number of schools at 90% funding adequacy is expected to fall for a third straight year in 2027, and Capitol News Illinois puts the statewide adequacy gap at about $6.8 billion. The state has added $350 million a year under its evidence-based funding formula since 2018, but Gordon-Booth said inflation has eroded that money's value and the formula needs to be revisited. Visiting the school as principal for a day, she also highlighted a $500,000 state grant she helped secure for tutoring resources in Peoria Public Schools.
Such a surcharge would require amending the Illinois Constitution, which mandates a flat income tax; a proposed amendment stalled in the state House earlier this year. Cook County voters will answer a non-binding advisory referendum on Nov. 3 asking whether Illinois should levy a 3% surcharge on income above $1 million, with half the revenue for property tax relief and half for public education. A similar statewide advisory question drew about 61% support in 2024.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：图：伊利诺伊州议会大厦（Springfield）。摄影：PhilDaBirdMan，CC0（Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. Photo by PhilDaBirdMan, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons).
