Illinois Business Journal Illinois Business Journal
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Study finds Illinois must regain productivity edge
By ALAN J. ORTBALS

   Illinois' manufacturing productivity has been slipping over the past 10 years, according to the Illinois Cost of Doing Business Study - Latest Update, released last fall by the Regional Development Institute at Northern Illinois University. John Lewis, director of the institute, says Illinois must work to increase manufacturing productivity but also foment a better business climate in the state.
   The study analyzes and compares the combination of costs and productivity in six Great Lakes states - Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin. Lewis says he looks at both costs and productivity because high costs can be offset by high

 . Indiana leads five other Great Lakes states including Illinois, combining high productivity with a low cost of doing business in several industry sectors.
productivity and a state could still have a comparative advantage even with a high cost of doing business. Likewise, low costs coupled with low productivity could result in a state having a comparative disadvantage.
   "We're certainly more competitive than Michigan and Wisconsin," said Lewis. "We have a better transportation infrastructure. We have the interstate highway system; the [continue]

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Experts predict that prospective buyers will see the price of a new home jump to more than $8,000 if Gov. Rod Blagojevich's tax plan is passed by the Illinois General Assembly.		 .

Gross receipts tax will hit new homebuyers with over $8,000 in added cost, study finds
By ALAN J. ORTBALS

   The accumulated or "pyramid" effect of the gross receipts tax proposed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich would add nearly $9,000 to the cost of an average new home in the nine-county metropolitan Chicago region, according to a study released in mid-April by the Illinois Association of Realtors.
   Prospective homebuyers in the Southwestern Illinois area would see similar price escalation, according to Jerry Rombach, executive officer of [continue]

 
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Springfield once again battleground between trial lawyers and Illinois business interests
By ALAN J. ORTBALS

   The struggle between business interests and trial lawyers is once again playing itself out in the Illinois state capital.
   The point of contention now is SB 1296, a bill that would amend the Code of Civil Procedure to provide that the apportionment of fault in joint liability cases applies only to the parties still remaining in the case - and does not apply to defendants that have been dismissed for any reason, including settlement. The bill passed the Illinois Senate along party lines and is now being taken up by the House.
   The Illinois Civil Justice League is leading the charge to try to block passage of the bill. The ICJL is a group comprised of citizens, small and large businesses, associations, professional organizations, nonprofit organizations and local governments. It advocates a civil justice system that is fair to all Illinois citizens and [continue]