By: Diane Benjamin
Illinois government not only collects a Gas Tax per gallon, they also get Sales Tax. They really hate when the price of gas drops because their revenue drops too.
Gas tax: $0.483 per gallon https://tax.illinois.gov/research/taxrates/motorfuel.html
In case you forgot what this tax used to be:
.
That is an 87% in 6 years. Interstate 39, especially southbound, feels like a horse path.
According to GasBuddy, the cheapest local gas is $2.99.
Saturday I was excited by that price. Sunday we took a road trip to Genoa Illinois. The price of gas two hours north – right on the interstate – was $2.88.
I of course filled it up again!
The State of Illinois will be collecting less money as the price drops. Local governments will collect less sales tax too. Since governments aren’t capable of budgeting with less sales tax revenue, expect more tax increases.
Public Transportation will suffer too since low gas prices mean fewer riders. Driving has to be unaffordable before most people willingly step on a bus.
Vehicles take people where they want to go, while bus routes take people where the buses go.
What is good for citizens is never good for governments. Expect tears soon, revenue dropping is a disaster for government.
The good thing about gas prices in Illinois is that when you travel to a tourist trap in another state where they gouge you on the price of gas because they can, it feels like home. Thankyou JB! 🙁
Maybe we should just raise the price of parking. That would reduce the price of maintaining the roads and give a chance for new parking lot businesses to add to the tax base.
Three weeks ago we went to Ohio. When I filled up here in BloNo it was $3.39 gal. In Ohio it was $2.58 and that was along I70! And, their section of the interstate was smooth. Illinois…. high prices and lousy roads.
Immediately across state lines the roads are better so don’t tell me it’s the weather.
Three miles South of the Wisconsin border, in Illinois its $3.14 today. One mile North of the border, its $2.59 today.