Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says lawmakers who question expanding a tax credit for low-income workers should read Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

Quinn says increasing the earned-income tax credit is about helping all those "Bob Cratchits" who work hard raising kids and deserve some tax relief too if Illinois is going to give breaks to big companies.

After lighting the state Christmas tree Thursday in Chicago, Quinn said he supports a major tax breaks package that increases the state version of the EITC to 10% of the federal credit, up from 5%.

Some lawmakers don't even want the EITC mixed into a tax package deal that's aimed at keeping major companies like the CME Group Inc. and Sears Holdings Corp. in Illinois.