(The Center Square) – Supporters of changing the state’s flat income tax to one with higher rates on higher earners used a fake Twitter account to promote the progressive tax.
The Vote Yes For Fairness group, which is heavily funded by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, shared a screenshot on Facebook Oct. 9 of a tweet from @Liz_Uihlein. The Uihlein family owns Uline, one of the largest companies in Illinois.
“Why should I be expected to subsidize my employees’ taxes?” the tweet said. “They don’t need a handout from me, they already get a paycheck. Vote NO on the tax hike amendment. #FairTax #FairTax Now”
The fake Twitter account has since been removed.
“On behalf of Uline, … the alleged Liz Uihlein Twitter account was a fake account, and that Liz Uihlein has never had a Twitter account,” said Ellie O’Neil, a publicist with Mueller Communications LLC. “After being reported to Twitter, the fake account has been removed by Twitter for impersonation.”
The image of the tweet shared by Yes For Fairness showed it was captured 48 seconds after the Tweet was sent.
Vote Yes For Fairness said the tweet “is how opponents of the Fair Tax think of hardworking Illinoisans.”
“Billionaires like Liz Uihlein don’t care about our middle and lower-income families – they only care about protecting their bottom line,” the Vote Yes For Fairness group posted. “That’s why they’re fighting to stop the Fair Tax, which would make them finally pay their fair share, while giving a tax cut to 97% of Illinoisans.”
The post from Vote Yes For Fairness was shared 185 times as of Monday afternoon.
Vote Yes For Fairness didn’t immediately respond to questions about the Tweet or the group’s response.
Illinois State Board of Elections data shows Gov. J.B. Pritzker gave Vote Yes For Fairness $56.5 million this year.
Illinois voters sound off on the amendment in the Nov. 3 General Election.
