Illinois Gov. Pritzker Wants to Charge Social Media Accounts for Existing
Slash the budget. I mean, why did Illinois spend $4.4 million to podcasting and production studios?
Ah, yes. Just like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will not consider spending cuts when it comes to the budget.
Pritzker wants to impose a fee on social media accounts just for existing.
I’m not kidding.
You cannot oppose the idea because the fee would raise $200 million for education, which makes up 24% of the general funds budget.
You don’t hate children….do you!?
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is proposing a new fee on social-media companies that he says would raise about $200 million a year for education, as his state confronts a sizable budget shortfall and greater uncertainty around federal funding under President Donald Trump.
The plan would require social media firms to pay a monthly, tiered fee tied to the number of monthly active Illinois users whose data they collect, with larger ones paying more. The proposal would also bar companies from passing the cost on to users. The fee could sweep in the biggest platforms — including Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook and Instagram and other large social networks — if they meet the state’s user thresholds.
If Illinois needs education funding, then slash spending elsewhere!
Illinois remains in a downward spiral with a $2 billion shortfall.
Chicago, which we all know actually controls Illinois, already has a 50-cent social media amusement tax.
“The tax is imposed on social media businesses that collect consumer data on more than 100,000 Chicago consumers in a calendar year, based on the number of Chicago consumers from whom a social media platform business collects consumer data within each calendar month,” according to the city.
Chicago also has an 10.25% amusement fee “for paid television and amusements that are delivered electronically, such as video streaming, audio streaming, and on-line games.”
STOP. SPENDING. Slash the budget. I mean, why did Illinois spend $4.4 million to podcasting and production studios?
People like Pritzker try to blame President Donald Trump. Look in the mirror, Pritzker.
The problem is not limited to a bloated budget.
People continue to abandon Illinois due to high costs and limited freedom.
I’m shocked we haven’t heard that Illinois dropped from second in 2024 to ninth in 2025 in United Van Lines’ list of states losing residents.
Then again, it’s hard to spin the state in a positive light. Illinois remains in the top 10.
Or maybe people aren’t using United Van Lines:
Atlas Van Lines found 54% of its clients were moving out of Illinois rather than in during 2025. Allied Van Lines showed a 58% outbound rate for 2025, ranking Illinois No. 1 for losing people. Census estimates showed over 40,000 Illinoisans leaving for the year ending June 2025, with 82,900 leaving in 2024 – 95% for lower-tax states.
Pritzker boasted that Illinois gained 16,108 people. I laugh.
The exodus could mean Illinois loses a congressional seat.
Many Illinois residents said they would leave if they could. I know my parents want to move back to Oklahoma.
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
I want to impose a Pritzker tax on all Pritzkers. For starters let’s set the level at 10 million a pound. I think that is fair. Pay your fair share you fat tub of lard.
I’m interested in how he proposes to stop a company from raising it’s prices if they want to do that for whatever reason.
“I ate a baby!”
“Baby! The OTHER white meat!”
The Beatles’ “Taxman” nailed it.
yup
and they’re suppose to be libs
lennon was not as lefty as people believe …as he got older
and harrison nailed taxman as you stated
Lennon like most leftist was lefty with your money. When the UK was going to take most of his income he moved here to escape.
Declare the pennys on your eyes…
This proposal is a powergrab on advertising revenue. How is it legal for the state to pass tax legislation that in this case would also bar companies from passing the cost on to users? Why should social media platforms absorb the proposed “entertainment” tax and not try to recover it by charging an annual membership fee?
This is going to be an absolute mess.
And most easily solved by forbidding “Illinois users whose data they collect” from being part of the platform. Then offering a service that would bypass you being an “Illinois user whose data they collect.”
How about taxing traditional media outlets?
How about cutting spending instead?
Well, that wouldn’t be very competitive, now would it?
That would cut grift. The surge of COVID funds bloated government spending, which with these looters sets a new baseline that future spending can’t drop below. Plus, as we should know by now thanks to Doge, every Democrat money giveaway is designed as an embezzlement scheme to deliver max dollars to leftist activists and the politicians that enable them. For example, when these crooks say “schools” or “children,” read teacher’s unions. The IL lottery was supposed to produce money for schools, but as far as we know that stated intent never happened. It all just a giant scam on whatever morons still vote Democrat.
daddy daddy what did you today??
pricter: I stuck the middle class whtys with more hard aches
Democrats, doubling down on dumb.
Logic escapes them.
.
He has a head the size of a dumpster. Sad.
And the fire is NOT in his belly.
Adding money to teachers’ union coffers IS hating kids.
Are competitor social media companies going to engage in sabotage by signing up accounts in the state to increase the tax burden on their competition?
Also, I’m totally sure a decree will keep cost from passing onto consumers as if they won’t just charge more for data which will then raise the price of their goods and services to compensate.
This is a dumb as the zero emission vehicle.
Meanwhile here in Indiana, we’re getting swamped with Illinois refugees. On top of that upwards of 2/3 of Illinois counties have been mulling secession and joining on to the Hoosier state. Way to go, JB.
Well, that would explain why Indiana has decided to help the Democrats commit election fraud.
“You cannot oppose the idea because the fee would raise $200 million for education.”
Ah, it’s the old 1980s State Lottery Dance, given a fresh coat of paint.
Money is fungible, fools. They’ll appropriate all the funds from this tax to the schools, freeing up funds from other sources that used to fund the schools to buy themselves gold-plated desks and Friday afternoon hooker DoorDash.
tied to the number of monthly active Illinois users whose data they collect
On top of there’s no way they can actually do that…
The proposal would also bar companies from passing the cost on to users.
You also can’t do that. Whether it’s technically, pedantically legal or not, you simply CANNOT do that. On top of that, I don’t think it’s legal – it would be price fixing. (Yeah, I know, all sorts of things are price fixed – including wages – by government. But it sure shouldn’t be legal.)
Ah, the Democrat solution to everything! Mandami in NYC is using it to keep his campaign promises. The new governor of VA is using it to turn VA blue. Walz is going to employ it in MN to cover up the massive fraud there. Pritzker is going to use it to pay for his failed programs. Newsom used it in CA to pay for massive illegal medical and living expenses. Of course, it is always the “Rich” who are going to be taxed but we all know it is the middle class who always pays the bill.
well when your entire tax base including brick and mortar businesses are fleeing, preparing to flee, or taking a hard look at fleeing
ya gotta do something to pay for stuff.
cut spending … are u out of your mind.
I don’t understand all the comments. Illinois voters elected this…gem by almost 10% in both 2018 and in 2022. And he’ll probably get re-elected this year since Illinois doesn’t set term limits on governors.
Which means that Illinois residents will get what they voted for. Good and hard.
This is where I wish all the companies that would be affected by this would just close down all accounts that are based in Illinois. What would the state do than if everyone in the state was unable to use social media or streaming sites?
Fat boy is addicted to food and everybody else’s money!
Gov. Fat Looter: Why bother to scrounge around for grift, fraud, overspending, and waste in state expenditures, when it’s easier to scrounge around for new things to tax? Like internet services, professional services (lawyers, accountants, etc.). plastic grocery bags—the possibilities are endless, limited only by whatever the people earn or own (until it is gone).
I’m sure that Illinois can afford to lose another Republican congressional seat.
Adam Kinziger wasn’t much of a loss.