Wilhour Says Gas Tax Hike Would Hurt Those Least Able to Afford It

A possible gas increase would hurt the families who least can afford it, according to State Representative-Elect Blaine Wilhour.

“Everyone agrees we need to address Illinois’ infrastructure problems but raising the gas tax is going to hurt the families in Illinois that can least afford it,” Wilhour said. “Many families in my district live paycheck to paycheck and an increase in the gas tax would hurt them. We cannot afford to increase the gas tax in Illinois.”

(BLAINE WILHOUR)

There have been several ideas floated to raise the gas tax in Illinois. The most recent proposal from Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is to raise the gas tax 20 – 30 cents in Illinois. The average tax on motor fuel in Illinois is 37.32 cents per gallon. Raising the tax by 30 cents per gallon would mean Illinois would have the highest gas in the nation at 67.32 cents per gallon – nearly 9 cents higher than the 58.7 cents per gallon tax in Pennsylvania.

Wilhour said instead of continually going to the taxpayer for additional tax increases, lawmakers should look at a comprehensive solution to transportation funding. He said we need to be deliberate and talk to our partners on the federal level and see how we can work together to do the things we need to do while having the least impact on the taxpayers.

“There is bipartisan agreement in the importance of spending money on roads on bridges,” Wilhour said. “Not only are there important public safety concerns that need to be addressed but putting money into transportation can be an important tool for economic development. What we need to do is think more strategically about what the needs are, what the costs are, how to pay those costs, and what types of projects actually stimulate sustainable economic growth. With more and more electric cars on the road and other fuel-efficient vehicles – we need to think strategically about how we fund roads in Illinois. Raising the gas tax just because the price of gas is low right now is reactionary – not strategic."

For more information, log onto www.wilhour4il.com.