The way Republican state Rep. Darren Bailey (Louisville) sees it, Democratic lawmakers in Springfield have become so drunk on their own power they cannot even hear the cries of their constituents.
“People across the board are screaming no more taxes and they’re all being ignored,” Bailey told the SE Illinois News. “Even Democratic voters are among the crowd, but all you hear back is “this is all [former Gov. Bruce] Rauner’s fault and more taxes are the only answer.”
Illinois Policy Institute reports the Illinois House Revenue and Finance Committee recently approved a bill that would make Illinois home to the highest gas tax burden in the country by more than doubling the gas tax and substantially raising fees on other vehicle services. Under House Bill 391, the state gas tax would jump from 19 cents to 44 cents by July, and annual license plate registration fees would spiral from $98 to $148.
State Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Louisville)
In addition, owners of electric vehicles would see their annual registration costs soar from $17.50 to at least $1,000.
“We need to be living within our means and holding state government accountable,” Bailey said. “If we were, there would be no need for these proposed hikes. There’s stuff in the budget right now we don’t have to have. We shouldn’t have to be trying to raise all this money every so often to fix our problems. We’re supposed to be doing that as we go along.”
As it is, Illinois is one of just seven states to enforce a sales tax on gas. The state also imposes a Chicago and Cook County sales tax along with a state motor fuel tax.
“We’ve got to do something different with these pensions because that’s what’s fueling everything,” Bailey added. “In the next few years, we're going to be forced to make changes that will affect everyone. We need to start getting responsible now. The bottom line is we can’t just keep doing the same thing.”
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