SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Cherry Valley) says Gov. JB Pritzker’s $55.2 billion spending plan – the state’s largest budget ever – not only represents a nearly 40 percent increase since the current Administration took office in 2019, but also requires an extra $1 billion in taxes.
“It took 200 years for the state budget to reach around $30 billion; but in just six years, Governor Pritzker has pushed spending to more than $55 billion—the fastest, most dramatic expansion in Illinois history,” Syverson said. “I have said it before and will say it again: we do not have a revenue problem, we clearly have a spending problem.”
The FY26 revenue estimate for this plan, which totals $55.4 billion with $55.2 billion in spending, ignores the tough decisions needed to help hard-working Illinoisans and their families.
“Whose family can say their household income has grown by nearly 40 percent in just six years? But we’re still footing the bill for Pritzker’s out-of-control spending spree,” Syverson said. “And with the budget he just passed – he’s coming for more—with tax hikes on everyday necessities for families and on small businesses, and job creators.”
Sen. Syverson says one of the most egregious taxes would affect all Illinoisans, but the revenue it generates would be used to bail out Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the economically troubled Chicago Transit Authority.
“Starting January 1, 2026, customers would pay a delivery tax on most deliveries to their homes — $1.50 at a time,” Sen. Syverson said. “It’s a regressive tax that would hit working families, seniors, people who simply can’t afford a car and those on fixed incomes the hardest. For families just trying to make ends meet, it would be yet another burden they didn’t ask for.”
The transit legislation that contained the $1.50 delivery tax – House Bill 3438 – was passed by the Senate, but has stalled because it was not called for a vote in the House of Representatives.
Sen. Syverson says his focus will remain on the citizens of Illinois, and he will continue to work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to make the tough decisions necessary to pass a balanced budget with structural reforms that will boost the economy and jobs.
Fiscal Year 2026 runs from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.
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