Stop the $6.5 Billion One Central Project Corporate Welfare Giveaway

Recently, the Illinois legislature mandated gas station owners to place stickers on the pumps touting a 6 month freeze to automatic gas tax increases under threat of fines and criminal penalties. Gov. Pritzker has defended forcing gas station owners to post the stickers stating, “We’re lowering the (gas tax) impact for the people here in Illinois.”  

No, Gov. Pritzker, suspending a tax hike for 6 months isn’t the same as lowering taxes. Especially when it will be followed by two gas tax hikes over 6 months on January 1st, 2023 and July 1st, 2023. If inflation estimates hold, these two automatic hikes will result in an additional 6 cents of gasoline tax increases. A net 138% increase in gasoline taxes for Illinois motorists since 2019. 

This disingenuous election year ploy is insulting to Illinois motorists who pay the 2nd highest gas taxes in the nation with a combined state and federal tax of 59.56 cents per gallon.  

Also, taxpayers should know Illinois is one of only a few states which also imposes an additional sales tax of 6.25% on all gasoline sales. This double whammy of taxes is especially troubling when gas prices rise due to inflation or market conditions. 

The state of Illinois required no stickers at the pump when the General Assembly doubled the gas tax in 2019, or when the automatic increases in 2020 and 2021 went into effect. 

 
Enough is enough. Illinois motorists need real relief at the pump and gas station owners shouldn’t be fined if they don’t comply with Gov. Pritzker’s phony gas tax marketing gimmicks. 
 
I urge you to repeal automatic annual gas tax increases and to stop forcing gas station owners to engage in disingenuous election year disinformation campaign under penalty of a fine.