Washington, D.C. – The Illinois Policy Institute (IPI), Illinois’s only state-focused free-market think tank, in conjunction with the nation’s premiere taxpayer watchdog, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), yesterday released the Illinois Piglet Book at a press conference at the State Capitol, which identifies $600 million in wasteful spending in the state’s budget. 

“As the Illinois Legislature prepares for the upcoming budget, it is the perfect time for CAGW and IPI to publish a Piglet Book,” CAGW Vice President of Policy David Williams said.  “Having to balance the budget, legislators often choose one of the two easiest solutions: raise taxes or cut services.  However, there is another answer: eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse.  The Piglet Book touches on some of the many areas in the state budget where wasteful spending can be eliminated, providing a valuable resource to legislators and concerned taxpayers.”

With IPI’s inside knowledge of the Illinois state budget, the Illinois Piglet Book combines elements of two perennial CAGW publications, the Congressional Pig Book and Prime Cuts, both published annually and dealing with federal government pork and waste.  As part of its on-going examination of waste at every level of government, Illinois is the latest state chosen by CAGW for its Piglet Book series.

Whether it is $37.6 million for the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, more than $27 million for the Sparta World Shooting Complex, or $150,000 for the development of grapes and wine, there are enough examples in the Illinois Piglet Book to make any hardworking Illinois taxpayer weep. 

“Over the last five years, government spending in Illinois has routinely outpaced revenue growth; the state is racked with debt,” said Greg Blankenship, Executive Director of the Illinois Policy Institute.  “Some politicians in Springfield have suggested as much as $4 billion in new taxes as a solution.  Instead of burdening Illinoisans with an even steeper tax burden, the state must eliminate its wasteful and out of control spending; the Illinois Piglet offers a good place to start.”

The Illinois Piglet Book is available online at www.cagw.org and www.illinoispolicyinstitute.org.  To order a hard copy, please contact Tom Finnigan at (202-467-5309, media@cagw.org) or Michael Van Winkle (708-289-3136, mike@illinoispolicyinstitute.org).

The Illinois Policy Institute is a nonprofit think tank seeking to preserve and strengthen critical societal institutions in Illinois through the promotion of free markets and limited government. Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.