One of the
ideas that flowed out of incoming Governor JB Pritzker’s mouth during the
gubernatorial campaign was the possibility of a new tax based on how many miles
we drive versus the current gas pump tax where we pay so much per gallon.
I’m sure he
wished he hadn’t gone down the road concerning a VMT, or vehicle mileage tax. Pritzker
did talk about it during an editorial board interview in suburban Chicago early
in the campaign.
It actually
has not turned into a proposal and honestly I hope it doesn’t catch fire.
The idea is
that people who drive more should pay more. I think that is covered with the
current 20-cent per gallon tax in Illinois. It just makes sense that the more
miles we drive, the more gasoline we buy. Right? Well wrong, at least in the
minds of some liberals who hate big oil and are huge fans of electric cars.
That is a growing part of the car market and those folks are paying for volts….not
petroleum, thus driving down tax revenue.
By the way,
just so you know…from a consumer standpoint…our 20-cents isn’t as good as
Missouri’s 17-cent motor fuel tax rate….but far better than Pennsylvania’s
57-cents per gallon.
Pritzker has
to find $10-billion dollars to fund all of the new programs he promised. But
that doesn’t address the billions of debt already on the books in Illinois. He will raise our taxes….I think that
is a given. But I don’t like the idea that we might have to file GPS reports in
order to get taxed for our free travel within the confines of our country. It
really sounds like the antithesis of the ideals of a free society.
I don’t want
to pay for my mileage. And I really don’t care to pay more per gallon for my
use of the roads in Illinois. I’d be much happier if there was a concerted
effort to cut state spending…if not to the bone….beyond.
That would
get my attention and support.
This vehicle mileage tax is a bad idea. I feel like it came from a urbanite idea that those who are truly poor take public transportation, but it's absolutely ignorant of the fact that downstate Illinois doesn't have adequate public transportation to offset that tax on the ones who would be most affected. This is a flat tax that would undoubtedly affect commuting workers downstate the most. This is further exacerbated by the fact work is becoming increasingly scarce, so workers have to travel further for work. I can't even count how many members of my friends and family work outside of Fairfield. It's not a good idea for the average Illinoisan, but it will definitely raise some revenue. I'm not a fan of this idea.
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