House Majority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) joined John Tillman of the Illinois Policy Institute at a press conference in Springfield this morning. While the two wanted to use their time to outline potential economic reforms being pushed by the conservative think tank, reporters immediately turned the discussion toward the state deficit.

Tillman, who said he will release his own FY 2011 budget proposal within weeks, emphasized that an income tax hike would require families to cut their budgets.  "Every family in this state is sitting down at their kitchen table with a pencil and paper. What do you want them to cut?" he asked. "Are you asking them to cut the college fund? Are you asking them to cut the food fund?" Watch it:

So how much would a tax hike cost a middle-class family in Illinois?

To give just one example, a family of four making $100,000 each year currently pays $2,760 in state income taxes. Under Gov. Pat Quinn's original tax proposal, which increased the tax rate from 3 percent to 4.5 percent and tripled the $2,000 personal exemption, that same family would pay an additional $660 every year -- or $12.69 more per week.  (Those wanting to check their own income level against Quinn's original proposal should take a crack at Wonkish's tax calculator.)

Under HB 174, which increases the tax rate to 5 percent and the personal exemption to $3,000, the same family would owe an additional $1,640 -- or $31.54 more per week.  (While this bill would also double the state property tax credit from 5 percent to 10 percent, those savings aren't factored in here.)

If a tax hike passes, families will obviously have to figure out where they can scale back certain expenses. And $30 per week is not an insignificant amount, even for families that are financially comfortable.

But when considering the personal financial ramifications, we can't ignore the cost of either further inaction or draconian spending cuts.  Take Tillman's reference to a family's "college fund."  Because of the ongoing revenue shortage and resulting backlog in state reimbursements, state universities are currently considering tuition hikes as high as 20 percent.  At the University of Illinois, that would cost students and their families $1,900 more per year.

What about public transportation, another expense Tillman references? Currently, the state owes the Regional Transit Authority at least $250 million in late payments. If the state doesn't make due, the agency warns summer cuts are on the way. This comes after the Chicago Transit Authority fired 1,100 workers and made service cuts of their own, in part because of low state funding.  If the revenue shortages continue, further fare increases are also a strong possibility.

Lastly, let's consider property taxes. Any budget plan that doesn't raise taxes could include substantial cuts in revenue sharing and K-12 education. To make up the difference, local governments everywhere will be forced to increase their property tax levies -- or else cut teachers and increase classroom sizes.

If the state holds the line on income taxes, it doesn't mean families statewide won't feel pain elsewhere. When all of these possible factors are added together, an extra ten, twenty, or thirty bucks per week starts to look like a reasonable price to pay.