Over 3100 Retired Illinois Government Workers Get Over $100,000 a year in Pensions

WBBM Radio reports:

Gov. Pat Quinn says he needs to balance a budget with an $11 billion deficit and raising taxes and increasing fees are the only ways to close the gap.

Not so, says president of the National Taxpayers United of Illinois, Jim Tobin.

"This is not a tax increase for the needy, it's a tax increase for the greedy," said Tobin.

Tobin says the state will get some federal help from the federal government with billions of dollars in stimulus money so why not fill the budget gap with that?

"What Quinn hasn't revealed is that the state is getting more than $11 billion in stimulus money, so that covers the alleged deficit. If he would raise the income tax $4 billion a year, that would give him $20 billion a year in new revenue," added Tobin.

Tobin says the money will likely just go to pad the pension pockets of retired state workers.

"These people, these government workers, over 3,195 people of them receive annual pension benefits of $100,000 or more," he said.

The special class.