Our Illinois lawmakers could help with the exorbitant costs we're paying at the gas pumps these days. But will they?
Now that the weather is warming up, one outside place where more conversations are ensuing is outside of cars, standing at the gas pump. As motorists pay $70 plus to put gas in their vehicles, they mentally make decisions on what they'll not do that day to make up for the output at the pumps.
"Won't stop for lunch at an inside restaurant, I'll grab a burger instead. Won't pickup that new pair of jeans for the kids, they can wear what they've got for another month," we think. "We'll get just the basics this week at the grocery store and, well, we'll pay enough on this month's credit card bill to pay off what we charged for gas last month."
All those thoughts interpret into economic slowdown, spurred on by gas prices now approaching $4 a gallon. For an 18 gallon tank, that's a $72 to fill the tank on an average car. Big SUVs and family size SUVs cost more. Few, if any, wages are keeping up with these increasingly demanding costs.
Over the past few weeks, two Republicans have publicly called for either a reduction or a moratorium on gas taxes here in Illinois. Republican candidate Brendan Appel, who's challenging Democratic incumbent State Senator Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston) called for a moratorium as did State Senator Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) this past week. Murphy pointed out that in 2000, a State Senator Barack Obama favored such a tax cut. Today, when things are much more difficult on middle income families, suddenly Obama's now not so keen on the idea.
"It'll save only something like $25," Obama said. You, know . . . the guy who will bring change. He wants to tax windfall profits on oil companies.
According to GasBuddy.com, Illinois gas tax is the third highest in the nation: 57.9 cents per gallon. California is 63.9 and New York is 59.6.
Illinois' rate is based on a 6.25 percent sales tax. That means for every $1.00 we pay for gas, $.0625 cents goes to the state or local governments. If gas costs $3.00 per gallon, we contribute $.1875 cents per gallon, or $3.375 per fill up. If the rates go up to $4 /gallon, we pay $.25/gallon, or $4.50 per fill up.
So if gas prices go up, Illinois gets more. Lots more.
The rate of these gas taxes is not pro-rated, based on each customer's net income. A guy who makes $25,000 a year pays the same exact tax per gallon a limousine driver pays for his billionaire boss' trip to the airport.
In other words, Democrats are determined to cheat the little guys they insist they are looking out for by not doing something within their power to do -- cut gas taxes. Why would they? Illinois citizens are handing over millions of dollars each day to a greedy, insatiable government that rubs their hands together with glee every time the price of gas jacks up again.
Illinoisans closest to the Iowa and Kentucky state borders are the luckiest in finding a way to cope with this tax mess. Within minutes, East Moliners can cross the Mississippi and pay $.36 per gallon sales tax. Metropolis dwellers can head into Kentucky and save $.21 a gallon on taxes. Metro East drivers can save $.19 a gallon if they head for St. Louis to fill up.
My tax-fighting friend Cal Skinner tells me that when you look deeper, Illinoisans pay a tax on the tax per gallon. Indeed, we pay sales tax on the total amount, which includes the state tax per gallon.
So when you're standing there at the pump this week, swapping horror stories about the exorbitant cost of driving to work each day, encourage that stranger to call his state lawmaker and complain. If he or she really wanted to, he or she could provide a springboard for at least some relief to the high cost of driving in Illinois.
