Kane County Reporter

State Senator Don DeWitte (R- St, Charles) said in a newsletter that Governor J.B. Pritzker is trying to deceive Illinoisans into thinking he has provided tax relief through mandated gas pump stickers, when the relief is really a postponement.

Governor Pritzker doubled Illinois' gas tax from 19 cents to 38 cents in 2019, according to Fox News. 

"This mandate is nothing more than an election-year gimmick by the governor, who is trying to trick consumers into thinking he is providing them with relief," Senator DeWitte said on May 27. "Instead, consumers will now be faced with two tax increases in 2023—one in January and another in July. I was a leading sponsor of an alternative plan to provide real, meaningful relief at the pump, which would save consumers about 16 cents per gallon."

Businessmen are taking legal action to fight this policy. 

“At the end of the day, we hope to get the law permanently struck down but in the meantime we’re looking for hopefully a temporary restraining order against the state from enforcing this law when it goes into effect July 1,” Josh Sharp, president and CEO of the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association, said, according to Advantage News.

Pritzker also instituted an annual gas tax increase. Illinois Democrats have passed legislation that will delay this year's planned gas tax increase of 2.2 cents from July to January. The bill will require gas stations to place stickers on their gas pumps informing Illinoisans of the postponement. Gas stations will be fined $500 per day if they refuse to display the stickers. 

Sharp referred to the mandatory stickers as "free election year advertising for the governor." The gas tax increase delay is part of a group of tax rebates and delays in the record $46.5 billion FY 23 budget, according to Illinois Policy. The tax rebates and delays will save the average Illinois family $556. 

The 2.2 cent increase to the gas tax will go into force in January 2023, and will be followed by another increase in July 2023, probably another 3.8 cents per gallon, bringing Illinois' total gasoline tax up to 45.2 cents per gallon, according to Illinois Policy.

In March, Senators DeWitte and Dave Syverson (R-Cherry Valley) proposed Senate Bill 4195, which would immediately cap the state’s sales tax on motor fuel at 18 cents per gallon, DeWitte's office said in a press release. 

This plan would save Illinois taxpayers nearly $1 billion during the next fiscal year. The release said that Illinois is one of just seven states in the nation that imposes a sales tax on top of its gas tax.

The average cost of a gallon of regular gas in Illinois reached a record-high $5.001 as of May 31, according to AAA, up from $3.275 one year ago. In Kane County, gas prices average $5.030.