To the Editor:

The Northwest Herald’s editorial (“Painful new fiscal year in Illinois,” July 5) about the Illinois budget woes couldn’t be more timely. Right now, our state is in a financial crisis that we need to solve. But instead of making our state income tax more fair, lawmakers have resorted to horrific budget cuts to critical human services and slashing health care for working families. The truth is that Illinois has a revenue crisis.

There is a better way forward. Illinois must do what 35 out of the 42 states with income taxes already have done: get rid of the flat income tax and instead replace it with a graduated system. This vital reform would raise as much as $2.4 billion annually in new revenue by asking high-income earners to pay slightly more. Most importantly, 94 percent of all Illinoisans would pay less.