Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sought to belittle efforts by Indiana lawmakers to lure the Chicago Bears to their state, accusing the state of dumping a new wave of taxes on residents without seeking their approval.
TheIllinoize.com reports Pritzker highlighted reports that residents in Indiana’s Lake and Porter Counties will be forced to pay higher taxes on food and beverage, hotels, and a new admissions tax to finance the state’s plan to build a new domed stadium in the City of Hammond.
“I’m very interested to see how the people of Indiana and the voters of Indiana feel about the massive increases in taxes that are being proposed about paying for a stadium in Indiana for the Chicago Bears,” said Pritzker during an event in Chicago’s South Side. “Do they want to raise their taxes to pay for a stadium in the state of Indiana for the Chicago Bears? We’ll see. That’s a question for people who live in Indiana.”
Pritzker stated that Illinois lawmakers are still in negotiations with the NFL team to reach a mutually satisfactory deal to keep the Bears in the state via a new stadium in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights.
“Here in Illinois, we continue to have really positive discussions with the Chicago Bears,” he continued. “And I think you’re going to see progress over time here.”
Pritzker added, “I’m a Chicago Bears fan. I believe very much that they ought to be based in Illinois. I’m going to do everything I can without harming the taxpayers of the state of Illinois in the process of making sure that we do everything we can to keep them in the state.”
Photo courtesy of Gov. Pritzker’s office
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