Illinois’ new gas tax is here. Some drivers looking west for cheaper prices
Just in time for the holiday weekend and summertime driving, Illinois’ higher gasoline tax went into effect Monday, doubling the state’s 19-cents-per-gallon tax to 38 cents.
It already has some in the metro-east threatening to make the short drive to Missouri to fill up.
Belleville resident Jim Setzer said as long as the funds are being used to fix Illinois’ “terrible” roads, he’s fine with it. However, he said he plans to buy gas in Missouri as often as he can.
“If they’re going to use the tax for roads and everything that’d be fine cause the roads are terrible,” he said. “But every time we go to St. Louis we’re going to fill up with gas because it’s 20 cents, at least, a gallon cheaper.
Missouri’s gas tax is currently is 17 cents per gallon.
The higher gas tax was part of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plan to pay for a new $45 billion capital infrastructure plan.
On Monday, gas prices in the metro-east, which can fluctuate throughout the day and week to week, for a variety of reasons, ranged from a high of roughly $2.89 a gallon to a low of $2.56.
On average, most metro-east gas stations were selling gas at or around $2.88 a gallon, up 29.9 cents from Sunday’s average, according to the gas price tracking website www.gasbuddy.com, and 39.9 cents up from last week’s average.
Across the river, in St. Louis, the average price for a gallon of gas Monday morning was $2.59.
Steve Schone, vice president of public affairs with AAA Missouri, which covers Southern Illinois, said it’s hard to tell whether the current prices metro-east drivers are seeing are high or low due to several artificial factors. However, he said before the gas tax went into effect, prices were already rising.
Factors that can affect prices are wholesale prices and refined summer blends from the refineries.
County by county, here’s where the average prices for a gallon of gas Monday:
▪ St. Clair - $2.731
▪ Madison - $2.657
▪ Jersey - $2.69
▪ Calhoun - $2.88
▪ Macoupin - $2.65
▪ Bond - $2.88
▪ Clinton $2.68
▪ Monroe - $2.74
Donnie Shevlin, of Collinsville, drives between Missouri and Illinois almost every day, filled up Monday morning at a MotoMart in Belleville. He, along with several others who were at the gas station, are planning on filling up in St. Louis when they can.
However, Shevlin said he understands that Illinois’ “bills have to be paid.”
“Right now we need the gas tax to pay off some of the bills,” he said. “I think this is only a short-term thing myself.”
Larry Perkins, a Best Med Transportation driver, was also filling up at the MotoMart in Belleville. He said he was only putting a few dollars in his tank, however, so he could make it to St. Louis to fill up.
“Every trip I can I’m going to try to go over to St. Louis to get (gas),” Perkins said. “It makes a lot more sense.”
The gas tax comes along with a number of other new taxes and laws that took effect Monday, including a cigarette and e-cigarette tax rising from $1.98 to $2.98, along with harsher restrictions and fines on texting while driving, and a rise in the smoking age from 18 to 21
Critics of the new taxes on gas and cigarettes have said that besides consumers, they are worried it could further hurt the convenience store business.
The Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association of Illinois said in a statement that the higher Illinois gas tax, which has been touted as an economy booster, will end costing the state jobs and businesses.
“Over the past five years, Illinois has lost 700 gas stations and has seen a reduction of 9,000 employees in the industry,” Executive Vice President Bill Fleischli said. “These increases will only result in more stores having to close, fewer employment opportunities, and less revenue for the state as a whole.”
Illinois’ gas tax will increase annually based on the consumer price index, which according to Decatur Herald & Review is typically around 2 percent. However, the increase is capped at 1 cent per year under the law that was passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
This story was originally published July 1, 2019 at 3:11 PM.