Get the latest news from around Illinois.
The Center Square: Biden cites Illinois’ plan to delay 2-cent a gallon state gas tax increase an example of 'relief'
Illinoisans pay the highest motor fuel taxes in the Midwest, but some relief could be coming from the federal gas taxes paid at the pump at the urging of President Joe Biden.
Biden on Wednesday called for the suspension of the federal gas tax for 90 days, something that could save drivers a little more than 18 cents a gallon. He urged states to follow suit.
“Already, some states have acted,” Biden said. “In Connecticut and New York, the governors have temporarily suspended their gas tax as well. In Illinois and Colorado, governors delayed theirs to give families a bit more breathing room as well.”
But in Illinois, the state’s gas tax isn’t changing. A planned July 1 increase of about 2 cents a gallon is being delayed for six months when the average price here is $5.50 a gallon. Josh Sharp, with the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association, said that’s not saving taxpayers anything.
NBC Chicago: How Can You Find What Congressional District You Live In? These Tools Will Show You
Every 10 years, the United States Census gives a new accounting of where residents live in the country, and as a result, Congressional maps get redrawn and put people into new districts.
New Congressional maps in Illinois left some districts relatively intact, but several members of Congress are now going up against one another in primary races, and several lawmakers are running to represent new areas.
WFIR: Illinois fuel retailers continue fight against gas tax freeze sticker requirement
The organization representing gas station owners across Illinois wants drivers to know the state has the highest gas taxes in the Midwest. The Illinois Fuel and Retail Association plans to share that message on the stickers Democratic lawmakers have required them to display on every gas pump starting July 1.
Stations will be required to put the advertisement on each gas pump noting lawmakers suspended the inflation adjustment, and the price drivers pay should reflect it. The law states gas stations must have the signs clearly visible to customers and any retailers who fail to put the sticker up from July 1 to Dec. 31 will be found guilty of a petty offense. Gas stations could also be fined $500 per day for each pump that doesn’t have a sticker.