Thanksgiving travel will set a record in Illinois and in the U.S. Illinois drivers will pay the nation’s second-highest gas taxes, thanks to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
The typical racing fan will pay an extra $22 for general admission to Chicago’s NASCAR “Street Race Weekend” thanks to the city’s amusement tax. Luxury seating could cost residents more than the price of a standard ticket in taxes alone.
Memorial Day weekend means millions will hit the road, but Illinoisans should try and fill up across states lines to avoid some of the nation’s highest gas taxes.
Illinois is eighth in the nation for most expensive gas, and reduced oil production in May could drive prices even higher. It all means more taxes for the state.
Millions of motorists will hit the road this Memorial Day weekend, an unfriendly reminder of skyrocketing gas prices. Illinoisans specifically pay the most for gas in the Midwest.
Private schools kept most of their students in class during the COVID-19 pandemic, making public schools look bad. Union bosses tried and failed to force through a bill to mandate state controls on private school operations in the case of a new health crisis.
Private schools found a way to stay open during the pandemic while the majority of public schools remained closed. Teachers’ union bosses want to rewrite the rules to handicap their competition should another state of emergency arise.
Illinois politicians used Madigan’s teachings – avoid messy democracy and disenfranchise taxpayers – by again waiting until the last minute to pass major legislation. Good things rarely grow in the dark.
When Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state lawmakers doubled the gas tax in 2019, they built in automatic annual increases. The next boost hits July 1. Perfect timing, as Pritzker spends $6 million to ask Illinoisans to take a drive.
It has been a year since George Floyd died beneath a Minneapolis police officer’s knee, setting off riots in Chicago and protests across Illinois. Lawmakers vowed reforms, but nothing will change as long as police contracts overpower state law.
Chicago’s $1.15 billion projected budget gap is the latest in a decades-long string of structural deficits. Making Chicago’s high taxes worse is not the solution.