By Bryce Hill and Ben Szalinski, includes “Supporters of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s progressive income tax amendment have been using ads to claim state lawmakers need new taxing power to ensure low-income and middle-class taxpayers aren’t paying the same as millionaires and billionaires. But thanks to exemptions and deductions already in the tax code, the lowest 20% of income earners already pay less than half the rate of the top 20% of earners. Like progressive tax supporters want, Illinois’ poorest taxpayers pay the lowest rate …”