Gov. Jay Robert ‘JB’ Pritzker (D-IL) on Tuesday shared that his administration would not be hiking taxes on gas as the Iran war continues to spark price rises at the pump.
Illinois Cuts Inflation On Gas Tax
In a post on X, Pritzker shared that the government “eliminated this year’s inflation on gas tax,” touting it as a move that would bring “working families some relief at the pump from Donald Trump.”
Lawmakers in the state recently passed the budget for the fiscal year, which includes freezing a 1.3-cent increase in tax on gas. The hike, which adjusts for inflation, was slated to take effect on July 1st this year, but has now been pushed to January 2027.
Illinois charges a tax of 48.3 cents for a gallon of gas on top of the Federal gas tax of approximately 18.4 cents, with diesel commanding a Federal tax of approximately 24 cents.
According to data collected by the American Automobile Association (AAA), the average gas price in Illinois on Tuesday was $4.5180/gallon, with residents of Alexander County paying the highest average of $4.8990/gallon. The national average on Tuesday also remained above the $4 mark.
California Gas Tax
California’s gas tax also recently came into the spotlight, with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) defending the automatic inflation hike as legislation that was already voted on by California residents in 2018, before Newsom took the Governor’s office in 2019.
Meanwhile, prices rose in multiple states as price cycles kicked into effect, but at elevated levels due to the ongoing Iran war, according to GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan.
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