Illinois Democrats recently passed a bill postponing an increase to the state's gas tax that was originally slated for July. | Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels
Illinois Democrats recently passed a bill postponing an increase to the state's gas tax that was originally slated for July. | Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels
State Rep. Chris Bos criticized Democrats for delaying an increase on gas taxes originally scheduled for July, and the Illinois Fuel & Retail Association is planning to sue the state over the gas pump sticker mandate.
Illinois Democrats recently passed a bill postponing an increase to the state's gas tax that was originally slated for July but has now been pushed back to January 2023, Fox 32 Chicago reported. The bill also included a mandate that requires gas stations to put stickers on gas pumps notifying Illinoisans of the postponement or face a $500 fine per day without one. Gov. J.B. Pritzker doubled Illinois' gas tax in 2019 from 19 cents to 38 cents.
"Illinois Democrats should work with us to address the structural issues that have caused our state to have the highest effective tax rates in the nation rather than expecting accolades for a 6-month pause on the gas tax increase," Bos said in a Facebook post. "Especially when it will be followed by two gas tax increases next year."
As a response to the sticker mandate, the Illinois Fuel & Retail Association is planning to sue Illinois, Week 25 News reported. Since the 2023 fiscal year budget won't be implemented until July 1, the organization still has time to push back against the state's mandate.
"You can't force businesses in Illinois, or in any state, to participate in speech they disagree with or that they don't want to participate in," Josh Sharp, CEO of the Illinois Fuel & Retail Association, told Week 25 News. "This whole ploy to force our members into posting these signs just shows you how scared some in Springfield are and some of those that are running statewide in November are for perhaps being blamed for those high gas prices. And frankly, they should be blamed."
The gas tax increase delay is part of a bundle of tax rebates and delays in the record $46.5 billion fiscal year 2023 budget that are expected to save the average Illinois family $556, Illinois Policy reported. The 2.2-cent-per-gallon increase will take effect in January 2023, with another increase planned for July 2023, likely of 3.8 cents per gallon, bringing Illinois' total gasoline tax up to 45.2 cents per gallon.
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