Prairie State Wire

Illinois residents pay 77.96 cents in state and federal taxes on every gallon of gasoline they purchase, the second highest level among the 50 states, according to a new analysis by the American Petroleum Institute (API).

Illinois’ gas taxes include 39.2 cents in state excise tax, 20.36 cents in other state taxes and fees, and the 18.4-cent-per-gallon federal gas tax, according to the API report. The data reflects the rates that were in effect as of July 1.

For diesel fuel, the tax level per gallon in Illinois is even higher at 89.62 cents per gallon, the report states.

Illinois has also approved a provision that raises the tax every July 1 based on the inflation rate as of March. The category of “Other Taxes” on gasoline in the state includes 0.3 cents per gallon for underground storage tanks and an environmental impact fee of 0.8 cents per gallon, according to API.

The state’s sales tax rate is 6.25%, but some cities and counties impose separate sales taxes, pushing the total up to as high as 10%, the report states.

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Gas Tax Burdens by State (in Cents per Gallon)

Rank	State	State Excise Tax	Other State Taxes / Fees	Total State Taxes / Fees	Total State Plus Federal Excise Taxes
1	California	51.10	15.88	66.98	85.38
2	Illinois	39.20	20.36	59.56	77.96
3	Pennsylvania	0.00	58.70	58.70	77.10
4	New Jersey	10.50	40.20	50.70	69.10
5	Nevada	23.00	27.48	50.48	68.88
6	Hawaii	16.00	34.17	50.17	68.57
7	Indiana	32.00	17.79	49.79	68.19
8	Washington	49.40	0.00	49.40	67.80
9	New York	8.05	38.14	46.19	64.59
10	Michigan	26.30	18.82	45.12	63.52
11	Florida	4.00	38.46	42.26	60.86
12	Oregon	36.00	2.83	38.83	57.23
13	Ohio	38.50	0.01	38.51	56.91
14	North Carolina	36.10	0.25	36.35	54.75
15	Maryland	27.10	9.00	36.10	54.50
16	Georgia	28.70	7.39	36.09	54.49
17	Connecticut	25.00	10.75	35.75	54.15
18	West Virginia	20.50	15.20	35.70	54.10
19	Rhode Island	34.00	1.00	35.00	53.40
20	Virginia	26.20	8.20	34.40	52.80
21	Idaho	32.00	1.00	33.00	51.40
22	Wisconsin	30.90	2.00	32.90	51.30
23	Montana	32.50	0.75	32.75	51.15
24	Utah	31.40	0.01	31.41	49.81
25	Vermont	12.10	19.18	31.28	49.68
26	Minnesota	28.50	2.10	30.60	49.00
27	Maine	30.00	0.01	30.01	48.41
28 (tie)	Iowa	30.00	0.00	30.00	48.40
28 (tie)	South Dakota	28.00	2.00	30.00	48.40
30	Alabama	26.00	3.21	29.21	47.61
31	Nebraska	27.70	0.90	28.60	47.00
32	Tennessee	26.00	1.40	27.40	45.80
33	South Carolina	26.00	0.75	26.75	45.15
34	Massachusetts	24.00	2.54	26.54	44.94
35	Kentucky	24.60	1.40	26.00	44.40
36	Arkansas	24.50	0.30	24.80	43.20
37	Kansas	24.00	0.03	24.03	42.43
38	Wyoming	23.00	1.00	24.00	42.40
39	New Hampshire	22.20	1.63	23.83	42.23
40 (tie)	Delaware	23.00	0.00	23.00	41.40
40 (tie)	North Dakota	23.00	0.00	23.00	41.40
42	Colorado	22.00	0.00	22.00	40.40
43	Louisiana	20.00	0.01	20.01	38.41
44 (tie)	Oklahoma	19.00	1.00	20.00	38.40
44 (tie)	Texas	20.00	0.00	20.00	38.40
46	Arizona	18.00	1.00	19.00	37.40
47	New Mexico	17.00	1.88	18.88	37.28
48	Mississippi	18.00	0.79	18.79	37.19
49	Missouri	17.00	0.42	17.42	35.82
50	Alaska	8.95	6.03	14.98	33.38

Source: American Petroleum Institute