$1B, unneeded tax hike coming to a tollway near you?
Chicago-area drivers could end up paying $1 billion more in tolls each year as part of a deal state lawmakers admitted was made to get labor union support.
Illinois drivers face up to $1 billion more in tollway fees per year – money the tollways do not need – as part of a deal Springfield leaders admitted they made to get labor unions to back a Chicago-area mass transit bailout.
The Illinois Tollway board could vote as soon as Dec. 18. It would take an extra $329 per year from the typical driver.
Analysts estimated the 45-cent spike will drive the average passenger toll to $1.24, leading to $329 yearly increase for the typical commuter starting in 2027. Commercial truckers could also find themselves paying $1.73 more, or $1,264 a year.
Starting in 2029, tollway fees will automatically rise with inflation with a 4% cap per year applied every two years, regardless of the actual tollway needs. The automatic hikes make it hard for voters to hold lawmakers responsible for the hikes and will swell the tollway coffers.
That kind of automatic hike was applied to the state’s gas tax, leading to a $3.3 billion surplus and record-high taxes thanks to Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Illinois’ gas tax were 19 cents before he doubled them and added the inflationary hikes, putting the tax at 48.3 cents per gallon currently.
The Illinois Tollway Authority was initially sold to voters as a temporary way to fund new highways: “Toll free in ’73.” That was intended to be 1973, but with the automatic hikes will likely still be going in 2073.
The tollway hikes were not needed but rather a gift to reward labor unions for supporting the Regional Transportation Authority bailout of Chicago area mass transit. Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch said the toll hike was the price Illinoisans had to pay for labor union support.
“It was important to them, if they were going to agree to give up almost $1 billion dollars a year from the road fund, that they can point to something that will help keep working people working and keep roads getting repaired,” Welch told the Chicago Sun-Times.
While lawmakers proposed this toll tax hike to replace nearly $1.1 billion they plan to divert from the state road fund and apply to mass transit, research shows over $3.3 billion remains unused in the fund. That surplus was largely generated by Pritzker’s automatic gas tax hike, which drove Illinois gas taxes to No. 2 in the nation and has outpaced roadway spending every year since 2020.
The $1 billion hike is not money the tollway authority needs or asked for. It had already put together a balanced budget on Oct. 22. State lawmakers did not approve their tollway gift to labor unions until Oct. 31.
Revenue from Illinois tolls reached its highest level in more than a decade last year.
Illinois drivers are already paying nearly $1.8 billion more to get around than they did before Pritzker took office. The average driver has paid $1,505 more just in higher gas taxes and registration fees since 2019.
The 11-member tollway board was appointed by Pritzker. Three of them are currently serving in leadership positions for labor unions that work on large-scale road projects.
The tollway board has final say on whether these new tolls are imposed on drivers. They meet Dec. 18, then again Jan. 28.
Both meetings allow public comment, or you can use our Take Action tool below to let them know what you think.