By: Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in his 2023 budget speech that he will suspend the states’ automatic gas tax increase next year as part of his $1 billion “tax relief” plan. Suspending the increase will reportedly cost the state $135 million in new revenue.
He says the suspension will help offset the impact of rising inflation on Illinoisans. Inflation is up 7 percent over the year, the biggest increase in 40 years.
Here are five reasons why his plan delivers no relief:
1. The first thing you need to understand is that Pritzker’s plan doesn’t call for a cut in gas taxes. It’s only a suspension of a planned 2 cent gas tax increase in July 2022. Illinois law calls for a yearly increase in the motor fuel tax based on the rate of inflation.
2. The second thing you need to remember is that Gov. Pritzker doubled the state motor fuel tax in 2019 to 38 cents from 19 cents to fund the state’s 2019 capital bill. That bill also added the inflation provision to Illinois’ gas taxes.
3. When Pritzker took office, the total gas tax for Illinoisans was around 50 cents. Today, under his leadership, it’s at 78 cents. So the gas tax has increased about 28 cents since he took office.
4. Today, Illinoisans pay the second-highest gas taxes in the nation. Before Gov. Pritzker’s gas tax hike, residents used to pay the 21st-highest.
5. The pain doesn’t end there. Illinois is only one of four states to have a sales tax on gasoline. Illinoisans pay an additional 6.25 percent sales tax on every gallon of gas. So as gas prices go up, so too does a resident’s total gas tax bill. And remember, gas prices nationally are up 50 percent since December of 2020.
Add it all up, and it’s understandable why Illinoisans hate the state’s gas taxes. And yet Pritzker expects Illinoisans to be grateful he’s not raising the tax by a further 2 cents.
Like we’ve said time and again here at Wirepoints, Illinoisans don’t need election-year gimmickry. What they really need are structural reforms that make Illinois affordable again.
Read more from Wirepoints:
- Gov. Pritzker: The man with two budget faces
- Deputy Governor Andy Manar’s Deceitful Response To Wirepoints
- Illinois pension debts dropped to $130 billion in 2021…and all it took was trillions in stimulus and a once-in-a-generation market rally
- Some ‘plan.’ Illinois wants more federal bailout money for unemployment trust fund.
- Credit the near $200 billion federal bailout, not Pritzker’s actions, for Illinois’ “improved” 2023 budget
Audio and summary 
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.
Just another spin narrative for this grifter to publicize and use as a talking point. Has no effect and benefits no one, but him. People will listen to the words and never think about what it means and that it is just a shell game. Unfortunately most Illinois voters will likely believe it and blindly vote Dem again. Everything the fat man does now will be about the election – It is all about the election – crowd manipulation just like Washington.
Late last year, Gov. DeSantis proposed suspending their ENTIRE gas tax to relieve the pressures of inflation. That impact would be $1 billion, not $135 million. Florida can afford it, Illinois cannot because Florida is growing and moving forward, Illinois is shrinking and going backward. Pritzker‘s mirage of relief is a joke.
Porky is a thief in plain sight and everybody knows it. The toilet scam to chisel on his taxes? Maybe he thought they were too high! Hey! He’s on our side! Everything he proposes goes under a microscope; for good reason! Everything is a structured trap. He runs shell games, but there isn’t a shell, you loose every time.
Unfortunately, just the half assed appearance of trying is enough for the cult to buy into his lie and vote for him. He’s got the money to put out all the positive spin he wants and to demonize his opponent if necessary. This is that state of our state and national politics. You can buy into virtually any office. Trump is the only president to get outspent and still win the office. Jntil we do public fans an ing of campaigns and term limits, clowns like Pritzker and thieves lime Madigan will always be around. Pritzker could never stand up… Read more »
When Pritzker talks about gas tax relief you know he’s lying. Every time he opens his mouth he’s lying. So why would anybody pay any attention to this? It’s nothing
As I have written about in previous postings this tax relief plan is a nothing burger. I read that the increase was going to be .03 cents a gallon but whatever. 100 gallons of gas would save $3.00. I live near the Wisconsin border and buy 95% of my gas there. The last trip $.048 cents a gallon less than Illinois. Only 10 gallons and I saved $4.80 on that fill up alone. Two cars in our household plus my boat will probably save us $600+ a year in fuel costs. Never waste the trip, grocery shopping (no tax), adult… Read more »
Don’t forget the compounding effect by skipping one year. In about 10 years, that 2.2 cent per gallon savings will be a whole 3 cents!
Thank you Mrs Pritzger for your downvote you fat cow
For every down vote the Pritzger kids get an extra double cheeseburger plus bacon and a large French fry
This is one of many issues that Pritzker is wide open for intense criticism during the campaign. Inflation is a huge Democrat problem, and the cost of gas hits everyone in some way. Hopefully the GOP will hammer him relentlessly. It isn’t hard to visualize the commercials.
Than you Mrs Pritzger for down voting
Remember, JB’s Fair Tax had no provision for inflation indexing. He didn’t give two damns about inflation when he was trying to ram his constitutional amendment down our throats, now he’s suddenly found religion and only because his political party is taking the heat.
Is the proposed suspension of the CPI adjustment to the gas tax just a delay in the planned adjustment or are we truly skipping it? In other words, does it mean that in 2023, he’s going to apply just the 2023 CPI increase or both the 2022 and 2023 CPI increases so that basically in 2023 we’re in the same place we would’ve been had JB done nothing?