Pritzker open to delaying scheduled gas tax increase

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he's open to putting off a planned increase in a state tax on gasoline, but it would be up to lawmakers to bring it to his desk.

The governor's comments during a Tuesday appearance in central Illinois come as the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the Chicago area hits $5.05, which Gov. Pritzker blamed on the Trump Administration's decision to launch military action against Iran.

"Donald Trump has added about $1.50 to every gallon of gas you fill your tank with," the Democratic governor suggested, repeating his view that the easiest and fastest way to bring down pump prices would be for the President to end the war in Iran.

Drivers in Illinois pay two different taxes when they fill up their tanks: a sales tax on gasoline, and a separate excise tax, which goes into a fund to pay for road and bridge improvements.

GasBuddy head of petroleum analysis Patrick DeHaan says the excise tax is set to go up automatically on July 1 every year, based on the inflation rate: "Because raising gas taxes with a vote - politically - is very difficult."

This year, it'll go from $0.483 cents to $0.496 cents - a 1.3-cent increase per gallon.

And it's that increase that the governor has suggested could be paused: "We in the state can look at what I already did a few years ago, which is suspend the increase in the gas tax, the automatic increase."

However, Republicans in Springfield have proposed suspending the state's sales tax on gasoline, which would provide considerably more relief for drivers, but would cost Illinois hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue. There's no indication that Democrats in charge of the House and Senate are prepared to take action on that before the end of the regular legislative session May 31.

Indiana's Republican Gov. Mike Braun has already suspended his state's gasoline tax for nearly two months, in a move that DeHaan estimates has cost the government $5 million a day. In Illinois, Gov. Pritzker says any similar move would have to go through the Legislature first: "We could make some sort of pause, but I think that's something the Legislature is going to consider over the coming week."

Remember that WBBM Newsradio 105.9 updates the lowest gas prices in the area day and night at 37 minutes past each hour. You can let us know about low gas prices you may find by calling 312.409.GASS (4-2-7-7).