Governor JB Pritzker has once again shown his true colors—and it’s not the color of economic freedom. In a move that’s sending shockwaves across Illinois, Pritzker is pushing a sweeping 6.25% statewide services tax on everyday essentials like haircuts, auto repairs, and home maintenance. Coupled with another automatic gas tax increase on July 1, 2025, these policies add insult to injury for working families already reeling from sky-high taxes and inflation. It’s a direct attack on small businesses and a brazen grab at taxpayers’ wallets, proving yet again that Illinois Democrats simply don’t care about the struggles of everyday people.
Pritzker’s services tax—an idea that’s been lurking in Springfield’s back rooms for decades—would extend the state’s sales tax to nearly every service that middle-class Illinoisans depend on. From the corner barber shop to the local auto mechanic, no business is safe from the governor’s money grab. This 6.25% tax would make Illinois one of the most expensive states in the Midwest to get a haircut, fix your car, or even plan a funeral.
Despite Pritzker’s claims that this is not a “broad-based” tax hike, conservative watchdogs like the Illinois Policy Institute warn that this plan hits working families the hardest. Small businesses—already operating on razor-thin margins thanks to Illinois’ crushing property taxes, rising labor costs, and overregulation—would be forced to pass these costs on to their customers or close up shop altogether. And for low-income families, this tax would add to the mountain of burdens they already face just trying to make ends meet.
Here’s just a snapshot of what would be taxed under Pritzker’s plan:
- Personal Care: Haircuts, nail salons, massages, tanning.
- Auto Services: Oil changes, car washes, parking fees.
- Professional Services: Legal, accounting, consulting.
- Home Services: Lawn care, pest control, house cleaning.
- Entertainment: Gym memberships, movie tickets, amusement parks.
- Other Essentials: Laundry, pet care, funeral services.
In other words, nearly every part of daily life would get more expensive. It’s like Pritzker is determined to turn Illinois into California—a state known for high taxes and a mass exodus of families and businesses.
But that’s not all. Come July 1, Illinois drivers will be hit with yet another automatic gas tax hike, thanks to Pritzker’s 2019 law that tied the gas tax to inflation. Gas prices are set to jump to 48.3 cents per gallon for regular fuel and even higher for diesel. For families who depend on their cars to get to work or school, this is a gut punch at a time when inflation is already stealing every extra dollar.
The Illinois Policy Institute estimates the average driver will pay an extra $143 a year, just to fill up the tank. That’s money that could have gone to groceries, childcare, or paying off bills. Instead, Pritzker wants to keep feeding Springfield’s bloated government.
And let’s not forget that Illinois already has some of the highest gas taxes in the country—second only to California. Pritzker’s gas tax grab is regressive, punishing those who can least afford it. No wonder neighboring states like Indiana and Missouri are looking better and better for families and businesses looking to escape Illinois’ endless tax hikes.
Meanwhile, Illinois’ roads are still a mess, with potholes and construction delays everywhere you look. Where is all that gas tax money going? Conservatives have long warned that Springfield can’t be trusted with taxpayer money, and this year is no different.
What’s truly outrageous is that while Pritzker talks about a “balanced budget,” he’s ignoring the real problem: decades of Democrat-led fiscal mismanagement. Illinois has a $1 billion budget shortfall, ballooning pension debt, and spending that’s out of control—43% higher than it was in 2019. Instead of making tough choices and cutting waste, Pritzker is taking the easy way out by soaking taxpayers.
This is the same governor who spent millions of his own money trying to pass a progressive income tax that voters overwhelmingly rejected. It’s the same governor who talks about national ambitions—flirting with a 2028 presidential run—while leaving Illinois families to pick up the tab for his political legacy.
The services tax is nothing but a Trojan horse for even bigger tax hikes down the road. Once they start taxing haircuts and oil changes, what’s next? Baby-sitting? Dog-walking? The left never stops looking for new ways to get their hands into taxpayers’ pockets.
Conservatives in Springfield, like House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, are right to sound the alarm. Pritzker’s policies are driving families and businesses out of Illinois, and this latest round of tax hikes could be the final straw. The Illinois Freedom Caucus has called for a flat tax and spending caps to rein in the madness. It’s time for real reform, not more tax-and-spend schemes.
Illinois families deserve better than this. They deserve a government that lives within its means, just like they do. They deserve roads that work, schools that teach, and a tax system that rewards hard work instead of punishing it.
Governor Pritzker’s services tax and gas tax hikes are a slap in the face to every Illinoisan who’s ever stayed up late worrying about how to pay the bills. It’s time to draw the line. Illinois needs tax relief, not more punishment from the politicians in Springfield.
Conservatives must stand together to defeat this reckless assault on economic freedom. Call your state representative. Call your senator. Let them know that enough is enough. Illinois can’t afford any more of Pritzker’s failed leadership.
It’s time to put Illinois taxpayers first.
