Marathon Pundit: A taxing time in Illinois

Governor Patrick Quinn, Rod Blagojevich's successor, has hit the ground running as the chief executive's of the nation's fifth-most populous state. The meter is running too. The Chicago Democrat has already proposed raising the state income tax from 3 percent to 4.5 percent--a fifty percent increase. Lovely, Quinn wants to raise taxes during a recession.

But Quinn isn't stopping there, as the Chicago Tribune's Clout Street blog is reporting this afternoon:

*Hike the state cigarette tax by up to $1 per pack, though it could be as low as 75 cents. Quinn would not confirm he wants to raise cigarette taxes, but did say it's something the state should look at because it deters smoking and comes with federal money attached to it. The state tax on cigarettes is now 98 cents a pack.

*Double the cost of driver's licenses to $20 from $10.

*Increase the license plate fee to $99, a $20 increase from the $79 level that begins July 1.