Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois General announced what they referred to as a freeze on Illinois' gas tax. Adam Schuster of The Illinois Policy Institute shared why that is deceptive and a requirement that was hidden in the bill. In 2019, Gov. Pritzker signed a bill that doubled the Illinois gas tax and added a one-cent increase per year in perpetuity to the gas tax. With gas prices skyrocketing, Gov. Pritzker acted. According to Schuster, the legislation signed by the Governor delayed the planned increase of one cent per gallon until January of 2022.
"It’s brazened and shameless to refer to this as tax relief," says Schuster.
Also, within that bill was a requirement that Illinois gas stations post a sign no smaller than four by seven inches that explains in bold print that the gas tax has been suspended. Gov. Pritzker has delayed the gas increase of one cent until just after the elections and gas stations have to post this in a sign or face a fine of $250 per day. To hear the full interview, listen to the podcast or the audio above.
