House Bill 391 would significantly raise Illinois' gas tax and vehicle fees with the intention of funding road repairs and other improvements to the state's infrastructure.
House Bill 391 would significantly raise Illinois' gas tax and vehicle fees with the intention of funding road repairs and other improvements to the state's infrastructure.
State Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) does not deny that Illinois is in desperate need of infrastructure upgrades and road repair work, he just thinks there is a better way to do it than how Democratic lawmakers in Springfield are proposing.
“I believe we need to address our roads, rails and overall infrastructure,” Ugaste, the newly elected state representative told Kane County Reporter. “I’m just opposed to raising taxes any higher on the people of this state. My goal for getting the job done would be to see us move some things around and use the funds we already take in.”
Backed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Democratic majority in Springfield, the Illinois House Revenue and Finance Committee recently signed off on a bill that would make Illinois home to the highest gas tax burden in the nation. House Bill 391 would more than double the current gas tax from 19 cents to 44 cents and raise annual license registration fees by more than 33 percent to $148.
Illinois state Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) on the House floor
| repugaste.com
Electric vehicle (EV) owners would be in for the biggest hit of all, with annual registration fees jumping from current rates of $17.50 to more than $1,000.
“I believe that EV owners should be required to pay their fair share but what’s being proposed is just excessive,” Ugaste said. “Everything about this bill strikes me as just being too much.”
Illinois is already one of just seven states in the country to have a sales tax on gas. The state also has a Chicago and Cook County sales tax on the books along with a state motor fuel tax and a regional transportation authority tax.
Ugaste’s 65th House District includes Batavia, Burlington, Dundee, Elgin, Geneva, Grafton, Hampshire, Plato, Rutland and St. Charles.