By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – One of Illinois’ new taxes has been in effect since July, and somebody’s put a sharp pencil to it all to see how it impacts your family budget.
According to the Illinois Policy Institute, a typical Illinois family will pay $200 more per year because of the doubled gas tax – a regressive one, says Josh Sharp, CEO of the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association.
“It’s absolutely a regressive tax,” Sharp says. “Irrespective of your income or your ability to pay, you’re going to pay the 38 cents” per gallon. He adds the new tax on monthly parking garages will cost the average Illinois user almost $300 a year.
It’s all to fix up Illinois roads and build new ones. Sharp admits the gas tax – 19 cents for almost thirty years – had to go up eventually because of long-term neglect of the roads. He and his constituents just wish it weren’t a 100 percent increase all at once.
Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].
