Illinois

Illinois General Assembly expands EIC tax relief program

Published

2 years ago

May 23, 2022

Illinois General Assembly expands EIC tax relief program

Illustration by Olivia Abeyta

Illinois Common Meeting handed a invoice increasing the Earned Revenue Credit score tax aid program in April. Now, childless staff ages 18 to 24 and 65 and older together with immigrants who file taxes utilizing ITIN are eligible for aid.

Eleven years after immigrating to the USA, Hayde Flores opened her small enterprise, Complete Vitamin Belmont, in 2019.

Flores makes use of an Particular person Taxpayer Identification Quantity, a tax processing quantity accessible for U.S. nonresidents, as a substitute of a social safety quantity. Due to that, she didn’t qualify for the tax reliefs that many different low-income individuals do till this April.

“I feel to myself, ‘I’m right here, working onerous like different individuals, however I can’t do nothing,’” Flores stated. “My husband final 12 months labored two jobs, I labored my enterprise and nonetheless (we) need to pay extra.”

In April, the Illinois Common Meeting amended the Illinois Revenue Tax Act, increasing the state’s Earned Revenue Credit score tax aid to individuals like Flores. EIC is a state-sanctioned profit for working individuals with low to average earnings that reduces the quantity of taxes owed much like the federal Earned Revenue Tax Credit score program.

Illinois’ EIC’s enlargement will embody childless staff ages 18 to 24 and over 65, in addition to immigrants utilizing ITINs beginning within the 2023 tax 12 months. Along with growing entry to tax aid for low-income individuals, particularly undocummented working immigrants, the enlargement may also enhance the state’s EIC tax aid quantity from an 18% to twenty% match of the quantity the federal program offers for every taxable 12 months.

“The message that we obtain (from the state) is that they hear us,” Flores stated, referring to immigrants, like herself, utilizing ITIN numbers. “That feels so good as a result of we can’t vote.”

Teams together with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and its member group Northern Illinois Justice for Our Neighbors have fought for this legislation for about three years, together with many different immigrant, employee and household advocate organizations. The organizations held rallies, labored with the Coalition to Make EIC Work and campaigned.

Flores turned a group navigator for NIJFON a 12 months in the past. Since then, she has educated her immigrant group members on “understanding your rights” and points just like the EIC invoice. She stated she joined as a result of she needed to make a distinction.

Fred Tsao, a senior coverage counsel for ICIRR, stated the group needed to battle towards the shared struggles amongst many immigrant communities in Illinois.

“This (was a) shared marketing campaign to broaden the eligibility for the EIC, and we (acknowledged) the advantages significantly the anti-poverty results of the federal EITC and state EIC,” Tsao stated.

Some organizations advocating for the invoice requested Illinois state Sen. Omar Aquino (D-Chicago) to assist lead the hassle to develop the EIC about three years in the past. He stated now was the time to develop the credit score, particularly because the COVID-19 pandemic continues to influence residents’ monetary solvency.

So as to get the invoice by the Common Meeting, Aquino stated he and the coalition of organizations spent additional time specializing in EIC’s attain and influence.

“By educating a few of my colleagues and having them understand how a lot of a profit this was for their very own neighbors, their very own constituencies, definitely helped to get extra of us on board,” Aquino stated.

Throughout the state, the legislation will assist many low-income individuals who haven’t beforehand been included in aid packages, Tsao stated. He stated this help was significantly essential in the course of the pandemic, which uncovered the financial disparities working immigrant households face.

However, in line with Tsao, an important side of the enlargement is its permanence.

Flores stated the aid can have an amazing influence on her and her group. The aid will likely be an enormous assist not just for her household and small enterprise, but additionally for a lot of of her clients who may also qualify for EIC for the primary time.

“The necessity isn’t going away, even when the pandemic does. So, the EIC is actually essential in that it’s a everlasting measure,” Tsao stated. “It’ll present a extra everlasting mechanism for offering some financial cushion for these working immigrant households.”

E mail: [email protected]

Twitter: @shannonmtyler

Associated Tales:

— Northwestern, ETHS college students march for DACA, in solidarity with undocumented immigrants

— New Illinois invoice will increase variety of low-income households eligible for housing help

— Scholar teams host open mic occasion in assist of undocumented immigrants

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Illinois

Two Morrison seniors attend Illinois Premier Boys State

Published

4 hours ago

June 30, 2024

Press Room

Two Morrison seniors attend Illinois Premier Boys State

MORRISON – Two Morrison High School students participated in Illinois Premier Boys State, which was June 8-14 at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

Gavin Streets Wood and Blaine Williams, who will be seniors this upcoming school year, were selected to attend and were sponsored by American Legion Post 328 in Morrison.

American Legion Illinois Premier Boys State was founded in Illinois in 1935 by three Illinois Legionnaires, Hayes Kennedy, Harold Card and Matthew Murphy, who organized the first Boys State at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield. It is a participatory program in which students become part of the operation of city, county and state governments, according to its website.

American Legion posts select high school juniors to attend the program in June right after their junior year. In most cases, individual expenses are paid by a sponsoring Legion post, a local business or another community-based organization, according to the website. At Boys State, participants learn the rights, privilege and responsibilities of citizenship. Fictional political parties are created and the citizens are randomly assigned to one.

Boys State activities include various levels of legislative sessions, political party caucuses, four election cycles, general assemblies, band concerts, law enforcement presentations and recreational programs, according to the website.

Streets Wood said he decided to go to Boys State for a chance to win scholarship money. His plan is to attend Sauk Valley Community College and work toward earning a degree in cybersecurity, possibly at the University of Illinois.

Williams said he is unsure as to what he wants to study after high school, but the Boys State experience has him thinking about politics.

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Illinois

Its official, Chick-fil-A is Illinois’ favorite chicken sandwich

Published

11 hours ago

June 30, 2024

Press Room

Its official, Chick-fil-A is Illinois’ favorite chicken sandwich

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A new fast-food study from Richfield Research confirms what many Illinoisians could’ve guessed, Chick-fil-A is the king of chicken sandwhiches.

According to the study, Illinois isn’t alone. 30 other states ranked Chick-fil-A as the best place to get a chicken sandwich.

Popeyes and Wendy’s took home the silver and bronze, respectively.

In spite of the love Illinois has for chicken sandwiches, the state doesn’t even crack the top five states for consumption. The top five are Florida, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia.

On average, 14% of Americans are eating a chicken sandwich at least once a week.

The full results of the study can be found below:

Illinois’ favorite fast food chicken sandwich hails from Chick-fil-A, the preferred choice in 30 other states
Popeyes (21%) and Wendy’s (8%) follow CFA in 2nd and 3rd place, respectively.
Over 40% of Florida residents consume fast food chicken sandwiches on a weekly basis, the most among all U.S. States
43% of Americans admit to consuming a fast food chicken sandwich on a monthly basis

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Illinois

Looking to live off the grid? 3 Illinois counties are among the country’s top choices

Published

18 hours ago

June 30, 2024

Press Room

Looking to live off the grid? 3 Illinois counties are among the country’s top choices

Looking to get away from the bustle of the city? Suburbia just not for you? An off-grid lifestyle might appeal to you.

According to a recent poll, three Illinois counties are among the best for off-the-grid living, including one in the top 10:

Top Illinois counties for off-grid living

In its poll of 3,000 people nationwide, BusinessElectric.com says these counties were the most popular choices in the Land of Lincoln:

No. 9, Pope County: The southernmost county in Illinois sits on the border of Kentucky, along the Ohio River. It has 3,763 people — second-fewest people in Illinois, according to the 2020 census. The entire county is hilly and during rainy weather, “rivulets cascade down the hills in the park forming waterfalls of varying sizes and heights,” according to Wikipedia. The county contains Dixon Springs State Park and is part of the Shawnee National Forest.
No. 36, Johnson County: The immediate western neighbor to Pope County has 13,308 people, according to the 2020 census. It includes part of Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge and Shawnee National Forest.
No. 124, Jo Daviess County: Let’s go to the opposite side of the state with the northwesternmost county in Illinois. Part of the so-called “Driftless Area,” the county contains “rugged terrain compared to the rest of the state,” says Wikipedia, including Charles Mound, the highest natural point in Illinois. The county has a population of 22,035 and sits in a tri-state area including Dubuque, Iowa, and Platteville, Wisconsin.

The top 5 locations nationwide to live off the grid

No. 1, Wasco County, Oregon: The county gained significant attention as the setting for the Netflix series “Wild Wild Country,” which documents the controversial Rajneeshpuram community led by Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in the 1980s. Despite the community’s tumultuous end, the show has appeared to have sparked renewed interest in off-grid lifestyles in Wasco County, according to Business Electric.
No. 2, Hot Springs County, Wyoming: Ranked second, Hot Springs County in central Wyoming offers a rural environment enriched with natural hot springs, rivers, and mountains. The county’s remote areas provide the essential seclusion and resources necessary for off-grid living.
No. 3, Meriwether County, Georgia: Located in west-central Georgia, Meriwether County offers a rural setting with large parcels of land available for purchase. The county’s strong agricultural community and abundant natural resources support a sustainable off-grid lifestyle.
No. 4, Bienville Parish, Louisiana: Situated in northern Louisiana, Bienville Parish provides a rural environment with access to plentiful natural resources like forests and bodies of water. The parish’s remote areas offer privacy and opportunities for alternative living.
No. 5, Somerset County, Maine: Completing the top five, Somerset County in central Maine boasts a rural environment with vast forests and access to rivers and lakes. The county’s low population density and natural beauty make it an ideal location for off-grid living.