Lake County Gazette

Gas station operators will be required to post signs at gas pumps letting customers know about the gas tax delay planned for July, but State Sen. Craig Wilcox encouraged gas station operators to post their own signage.

Democrats recently backed legislation that will put off this year's scheduled gas tax increase of 2.2 cents per gallon from July to January, Fox 32 Chicago reported. The recently passed bill will ensure that gas stations place stickers on gas pumps telling Illinoisans about the tax postponement.

"Again, I would encourage gas station operators who must post the Democrats' campaign propaganda on their gas pumps to place their own sign right next to it expressing their views about free speech vs forced political speech" Wilcox said in a Facebook post.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker doubled Illinois' gas tax from 19 cents to 38 cents in 2019, Fox 32 Chicago reported. Pritzker also put into effect an annual gas tax increase. Gas stations will be fined $500 dollars per day if they do not display the stickers saying that this increase is being postponed.

"This industry won't be forced into offering free election year advertising for the Governor," Josh Sharp, CEO of the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association, told Fox 32 Chicago. "Ordering businesses to take part in speech that is compelled by the government under the threat of fines and criminal penalties is unwise and unconstitutional."

Illinois is 1 of 7 states in the nation that puts a sales tax on top of its per-gallon gasoline tax, Pasquesi Sheppard LLC said on its site. Illinoisans pay the second-highest gas tax in the U.S., with California being the highest.

The average price of a gallon of regular gas in Illinois was $4.396 as of April 28, up from $3.097 one year ago, AAA reported. In Lake County, gas prices averaged $4.378 per gallon.