Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law today a bill that substantially increases the Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC, a tax credit that gives money back to families of modest income. In a press release, Quinn said the bill would save all Illinois working families $105 million a year.

What Quinn did not mention was that the tax relief package resulted from convoluted negotiations between the governor and General Assembly that also produced a huge tax break for Sears Holding Corp. and financial exchange CME Group, Inc. Quinn pushed the EITC increase to make the corporate tax breaks more palatable to skeptical lawmakers.