State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) released the following statement after the Senate passed an unbalanced, incomplete budget:

“The 2011 tax hike proved that we can’t simply tax our way out of the problems that have plagued our state for years. Yet here we are again, asking the families of this state to take on a 32% permanent income tax hike with no structural reforms to our broken system. This plan has no property tax relief for our homeowners and will do very little to actually pay down our huge backlog of bills. This new budget reduces current pension payments by $900 million but achieves that by restructuring pension payments, adding that $900 million on to future payments. This budget is just a continuation of the same policies that have been driving our jobs and our families out of the state.”