How much is the new Illinois gas tax hike?

On July 1 the state tax will hit almost 50 cents a gallon. Lawmakers made yearly automatic.

Illinois drivers will see another gas tax increase July 1.

The state tax will rise to 49.6 cents per gallon because of the automatic annual inflation increase built into the 2019 “Rebuild Illinois” infrastructure program signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

That means Illinois drivers will continue paying among the highest gas taxes in the country. Indiana and Georgia gave residents a gas tax holiday from high prices because of the war in Iran.

The average price of a gallon of gas in Illinois was $4.986 on May 6, up from about $3.40 a year ago, according to the AAA.

When Pritzker doubled the state gas tax from 19 cents to 38 cents in 2019, lawmakers also ensured Illinoisans would face automatic inflation-linked increases every year without another recorded vote.

Once federal, state and local taxes are combined, many Illinois drivers pay more than 85 cents per gallon in taxes alone at the pump. Only California and Michigan rival Illinois for the highest total gas taxes in the country.

For the average driver, those increases add up fast. Illinois motorists now pay nearly $150 more annually in state gas taxes than they did before the 2019 increase.

Drivers in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and several other counties pay even more because of additional local gas taxes.

These taxes hit working families the hardest. Middle- and low-income Illinoisans often drive older, less fuel-efficient vehicles and spend a larger share of their income commuting to work and school and driving for daily necessities.

Before demanding even more from drivers, lawmakers should prove they can better manage the billions they already collect from Illinois families every year.