Factcheck

The number of New York filers with income over $200,000 has increased every year since that state raised rates on top earnings to levels similar to those Illinois lawmakers are considering.

Many graduated-tax states have outpaced Illinois’ economic growth in recent years. So has nearly every other flat-tax state.

The Democratic lawmaker says fewer teens smoke pot after it is legalized for adult use, but data from states where it’s allowed is inconclusive at best.

The state senator from Mattoon has it backwards: Illinois gained nearly 50,000 jobs the year after its previous wage increase was signed into law.

Newman’s claim accurately reflects the results of the single survey she is relying on, but it appears to be an outlier among similar polls.

Illinois is one of just nine states that tax income at a flat rate. But a graduated tax system alone doesn’t guarantee the wealthy pay a higher rate.

There has been a major decline in the share of Chicago high schoolers who smoke cigarettes, but the city doesn’t come close to leading the nation.

Experts we spoke with summed up the claim as a “myth,” “clearly not true,” and “total nonsense.”

Pritzker is calling for a switch to a graduated-rate income tax — not a ‘jobs tax’ — and has proposed a rate structure that would hold the line for all but the wealthiest earners.

The mayoral candidate isn’t wrong to suggest a link between academic achievement and crime — but student scores aren’t used to predict prison needs.