Description

This program will be held virtually. 

On November 3rd, voters will be asked to decide whether the IL Constitution should be changed to allow a graduated income tax or continue with our flat income tax rate. Is this “progressive tax” a “fair tax”?  What are the implications for the business community? Join in this lively well-rounded panel discussion where proponents of both sides will present their views. 

Extensive Q&A will follow to help participants make their ballot decision.

Giles Miller is Co-President of Phoenix Closures, a $160 million-dollar family business and the largest privately held bottle cap manufacturer in America. His company services Fortune 500 clients such as Heinz, Nestle, Abbott Labs, Syngenta, and Unilever. He serves as a board member of Valley Industrial Association, Illinois Manufacturers Association and the National Association of Manufacturers. He is the author of Everything I Need to Know About Business I Learned from Hip-Hop.

Giles is a lieutenant colonel and Chief of Combat Operations for the 183d Combat Operations Squadron supporting US Air Forces Southern Command responsible for the Caribbean, Central and South America. He served five tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and Qatar and provided air support for the rescue of Marcus Luttrell from “Lone Survivor”, the airstrike on Qassim Soleimani and the Iranian missile attacks in January 2020. Giles lived in Spain and Italy, and he speaks three languages. He is a graduate of Air War College, has an MBA and is a Project Management Professional.

Keith Staats is an attorney who has been involved in state and local tax since 1990. Keith is the Executive Director of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Tax Institute.  He previously was a director in Grant Thornton's State and Local Tax (SALT) practice in Chicago, where he was involved in tax planning, consulting, and dispute resolution in all areas of state and local taxation. Prior to rejoining Grant Thornton in 2010, Keith was Counsel at McDermott Will & Emery in Chicago where he specialized in multi-state tax planning, consulting and litigation. Keith served as general counsel of the Illinois Department of Revenue, and was on the legal staff of the Illinois Department of Revenue for over 10 years.

Keith is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, and is a professional affiliate member of the Illinois CPA Society. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association State and Local Tax Section council. He is a member and past chairman of the Illinois CPA Society State and Local Tax Committee. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Milllikin University, and graduated with honors from the Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Ralph Martire is executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability (“CTBA”), a bipartisan 501(c)(3) think tank committed to ensuring that state, federal and local workforce, education, fiscal, economic and budget policies are fair and just, and promote opportunity for all, regardless of race, ethnicity or income class.

In addition to Ralph Martire’s role as executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability (“CTBA”), he is also the Arthur Rubloff Endowed Professor of Public Policy at Roosevelt University. CTBA is a bipartisan 501(c)(3) think tank committed to ensuring that state, federal and local workforce, education, fiscal, economic and budget policies are fair and just, and promote opportunity for all, regardless of race, ethnicity or income class. During his time at CTBA, Ralph has helped obtain numerous legislative successes (including passage of the Evidence Based Model of Education Funding in FY2018, a state Earned Income Tax Credit, creation of a bipartisan legislative task force to integrate workforce and economic development policies, passage of the 2011 Temporary Tax Increases, corporate accountability legislation that, among other things, requires public reporting of economic development benefits created through receipt of tax breaks and other subsidies, decoupling Illinois tax policy from both the federal bonus depreciation rules and the federal repeal of the estate tax).