Prairie State Wire

State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia), an anti-tax conservative gubernatorial candidate, highlights taxes as one of the several reasons why Illinoisans face massive gas price hikes. 

Despite the freeze in the increase of the state's gas tax, the cost of gas continues to rise.

"Illinois is the only Midwestern state with an average gas price above $5 per gallon," Bailey said. "Illinois is also the state with the second-highest gas taxes in the country. The one difference between gas prices in Illinois and the gas prices in surrounding states is taxes. Motorists in some parts of the state are paying nearly $1 per gallon just in taxes. One solution is to repeal the J.B. Pritzker/Avery Bourne gas tax hike of 2019 that doubled the state gas tax on motor fuel in Illinois. We could also end the sales tax on motor fuel, which is essentially a tax on a tax. What we can’t do is continue to ignore the impact of the JB Pritzker/Avery Bourne gas tax hike on the price of gas in Illinois. Working families are hurting thanks to these tax increases. We need to recognize what the problem is, and we need to take action and we need to do it now."

The state stands out, nationally, when it comes to gas taxes. Hitting a record high gas price on Memorial Day resulted in Illinoisans ending up paying the country’s second-highest gas taxes. In Naperville, motorists pay around 25% in taxes combined for federal tax, two different types of state taxes, a tax for DuPage County and local city tax, Wirepoints reported.

State Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Pawnee), Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin’s gubernatorial running mate, voted to raise the state’s gas tax, Illinois Policy reported.

"The average Illinoisan will pay $11.55 in taxes for 15 gallons of gas. During the course of a year, the average gasoline tax is $408 per driver ­– $105 a year more than before Illinois doubled the gas tax in 2019," Illinois Policy wrote of the tax in 2021. The gas tax is also set to increase automatically with inflation. 

Reducing taxes in Illinois has always been one of Bailey's goals, according to his website.