East Central Reporter

State Senator Dale Righter (R-Mattoon) told reporters earlier this week that voters in his East Central Illinois district wanted him to vote to raise their state income taxes.

Well, it is now official: a 32 percent state tax hike is now law. 

And Righter's constituents will be paying an additional $55.2 million in state income tax this year, according to an analysis by Local Government Information Services (LGIS), which publishes the East Central Reporter.

LGIS used Illinois Department of Revenue data combined with a forecast by Senate Democrats to estimate how much additional tax will be paid by Illinois zip code.

The communities in eastern central Illinois that would pay the most: Effingham ($6.11 million total/$639 per person), Mattoon ($5.19 million/$543), Charleston ($4.13 million/$524) and Robinson ($2.74 million/$585).

Righter's district includes all or part of 12 counties: Clark, Clay, Crawford, Cumberland, Edwards, Effingham, Jasper, Lawrence, Richland, Wabash, Wayne and White. 

Retroactive to July 1, the higher rate-- now 4.95 percent, up from 3.75 percent-- increased income tax will be withheld from employee paychecks over the last six months of 2017.

An employee earning $50,000 once paid $72 in state income tax per paycheck. Starting immediately, they will pay $95, or an additional $600 per year.

Senate Democrats estimate the tax hike will siphon $4.453 billion more this year from individual taxpayers. Businesses will pay another $1 billion.

Chicago Democrats gave Righter a $4.8 million "earmark" to build an air conditioning system in an Eastern Illinois University lecture hall as consideration for voting for the tax hike.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that the income tax hike was retroactive to Jan. 1, not July 1.

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How much more will your community pay?

The state income tax rate has increased to 4.95 percent from 3.75 percent, how much more will taxpayers in your community pay for state government?

Ranking	Community	Zip	Estimated State Income Tax Increase
1	Effingham	62401	$6,114,721.61
2	Mattoon	61938	$5,192,623.39
3	Charleston	61920	$4,134,812.49
4	Robinson	62454	$2,742,576.21
5	Mount Carmel	62863	$2,633,605.16
6	Olney	62450	$2,595,247.97
7	Fairfield	62837	$1,908,113.79
8	Carmi	62821	$1,868,359.87
9	Marshall	62441	$1,764,509.17
10	Lawrenceville	62439	$1,687,741.37
11	Teutopolis	62467	$1,519,535.74
12	Newton	62448	$1,466,823.74
13	Flora	62839	$1,284,608.28
14	Altamont	62411	$1,034,485.29
15	Casey	62420	$1,006,879.01
16	Albion	62806	$788,845.34
17	Oblong	62449	$738,592.34
18	Neoga	62447	$707,845.54
19	Norris City	62869	$695,710.55
20	Greenup	62428	$627,349.65
21	Dieterich	62424	$613,506.12
22	Louisville	62858	$596,076.58
23	Bridgeport	62417	$574,418.99
24	Toledo	62468	$543,875.07
25	Martinsville	62442	$507,613.75
26	Sumner	62466	$484,037.11
27	Palestine	62451	$448,785.44
28	Grayville	62844	$430,754.38
29	Noble	62868	$428,068.56
30	Wayne City	62895	$427,303.36
31	Flat Rock	62427	$379,028.35
32	Watson	62473	$379,014.14
33	Beecher City	62414	$363,648.11
34	Humboldt	61931	$358,378.04
35	West Salem	62476	$355,795.37
36	Xenia	62899	$351,158.41
37	Mason	62443	$349,734.85
38	Lerna	62440	$341,724.49
39	Oakland	61943	$341,203.75
40	Clay City	62824	$333,134.97
41	Cisne	62823	$317,568.96
42	Ashmore	61912	$301,705.34
43	Crossville	62827	$282,597.53
44	Enfield	62835	$255,559.62
45	Saint Francisville	62460	$251,218.15
46	Montrose	62445	$240,848.79
47	Hutsonville	62433	$239,091.57
48	Allendale	62410	$227,287.34
49	Shumway	62461	$225,873.25
50	Wheeler	62479	$212,522.83
51	Dennison	62423	$195,550.89
52	West Union	62477	$190,569.48
53	Geff	62842	$188,527.55
54	Claremont	62421	$182,383.87
55	Edgewood	62426	$172,774.18
56	Westfield	62474	$159,324.83
57	Jewett	62436	$151,903.37
58	Dundas	62425	$136,988.88
59	Willow Hill	62480	$126,087.46
60	Hidalgo	62432	$122,868.52
61	Trilla	62469	$117,063.77
62	Annapolis	62413	$109,604.68
63	Mount Erie	62446	$107,806.68
64	West Liberty	62475	$102,415.30
65	Mill Shoals	62862	$102,366.36
66	Ellery	62833	$97,909.12
67	Yale	62481	$97,368.64
68	Browns	62818	$92,555.11
69	Parkersburg	62452	$88,915.69
70	West York	62478	$88,703.86
71	Ingraham	62434	$87,862.88
72	Springerton	62887	$84,188.99
73	Barnhill	62809	$83,147.24
74	Keenes	62851	$80,498.00
75	Calhoun	62419	$75,543.17
76	Sims	62886	$68,227.22
77	Rinard	62878	$67,528.34
78	Bone Gap	62815	$66,148.98
79	Johnsonville	62850	$63,943.65
80	Sainte Marie	62459	$52,095.47
81	Burnt Prairie	62820	$47,600.07
82	Bellmont	62811	$46,927.23
83	Keensburg	62852	$30,076.86
84	Golden Gate	62843	$19,131.23
85	Stoy	62464	$18,262.89
86	Maunie	62861	$12,019.74
	TOTAL		$55,209,409.93

Source: Illinois Department of Revenue; Blockshopper.com; Illinois Senate Democrats.

Note: Assumes tax increase will meet Senate Democrats' projections.

Top income tax-paying communities in east central Illinois

Which communities pay the highest income taxes in east central Illinois?

 

Ranking	Communities	Zip	Average State Income Tax Increase	Total Returns filed by Zip
1	Teutopolis	62467	$791	1,922
2	Humboldt	61931	$695	516
3	Burnt Prairie	62820	$690	69
4	Barnhill	62809	$665	125
5	Dennison	62423	$656	298
6	West Liberty	62475	$640	160
7	Effingham	62401	$639	9,571
8	Springerton	62887	$638	132
9	Lerna	62440	$629	543
10	Mill Shoals	62862	$628	163
11	Ellery	62833	$616	159
12	Norris City	62869	$615	1,132
13	Mount Carmel	62863	$613	4,297
14	Browns	62818	$597	155
15	Mount Erie	62446	$596	181
16	Dieterich	62424	$589	1,041
17	Crossville	62827	$589	480
18	Trilla	62469	$585	200
19	Robinson	62454	$585	4,687
20	Carmi	62821	$584	3,199
21	Annapolis	62413	$583	188
22	Hutsonville	62433	$582	411
23	Watson	62473	$579	655
24	Montrose	62445	$564	427
25	Yale	62481	$563	173
26	Enfield	62835	$552	463
27	Geff	62842	$550	343
28	Shumway	62461	$548	412
29	Newton	62448	$546	2,688
30	Mattoon	61938	$543	9,565
31	Marshall	62441	$542	3,258
32	Claremont	62421	$540	338
33	Albion	62806	$538	1,467
34	West York	62478	$538	165
35	Jewett	62436	$535	284
36	Saint Francisville	62460	$533	471
37	Allendale	62410	$532	427
38	Oblong	62449	$525	1,406
39	Ashmore	61912	$525	575
40	Charleston	61920	$524	7,893
41	Flat Rock	62427	$521	727
42	Lawrenceville	62439	$521	3,238
43	Wheeler	62479	$521	408
44	Casey	62420	$510	1,976
45	Noble	62868	$508	843
46	Keenes	62851	$506	159
47	Ingraham	62434	$505	174
48	Wayne City	62895	$503	849
49	Altamont	62411	$500	2,070
50	Dundas	62425	$498	275
51	Neoga	62447	$497	1,425
52	Toledo	62468	$497	1,095
53	Grayville	62844	$493	873
54	Fairfield	62837	$493	3,870
55	Palestine	62451	$490	915
56	Oakland	61943	$489	698
57	West Union	62477	$487	391
58	Hidalgo	62432	$486	253
59	Xenia	62899	$484	726
60	West Salem	62476	$481	740
61	Olney	62450	$477	5,438
62	Sumner	62466	$477	1,015
63	Martinsville	62442	$476	1,066
64	Parkersburg	62452	$475	187
65	Louisville	62858	$467	1,277
66	Mason	62443	$466	750
67	Bridgeport	62417	$465	1,234
68	Westfield	62474	$465	343
69	Sainte Marie	62459	$457	114
70	Golden Gate	62843	$456	42
71	Greenup	62428	$453	1,384
72	Rinard	62878	$444	152
73	Bone Gap	62815	$444	149
74	Flora	62839	$441	2,913
75	Sims	62886	$440	155
76	Calhoun	62419	$437	173
77	Clay City	62824	$431	773
78	Johnsonville	62850	$429	149
79	Cisne	62823	$427	743
80	Beecher City	62414	$427	852
81	Willow Hill	62480	$420	300
82	Keensburg	62852	$406	74
83	Edgewood	62426	$401	431
84	Maunie	62861	$401	30
85	Stoy	62464	$380	48
86	Bellmont	62811	$361	130

Source: Illinois Department of Revenue; Blockshopper.com.