Illinois gas tax increase in effect
The gas tax in Illinois now sits at 47 cents per gallon, roughly a cent-and-a-half increase. It’s now the second-highest state gas tax in the country.
MOLINE, Ill. — Illinois drivers will see an increase at the pump after a gas tax increase went into effect July 1.
The state raised the gas tax by 3.5%, from roughly $.45 a gallon to $.47 a gallon. It’s the third increase since 2022, making Illinois the second-highest state gas tax in the county behind California at $.60 a gallon.
“It is very expensive. Half the time I have to go across the Mississippi River because Iowa is cheaper on gas prices,” Moline resident Larry Miles said. For reference, Iowa’s state gas tax is $.30 a gallon.
Rock Island resident Bella Runge also gets her gas in Iowa when she can. She says she saves roughly $.40 a gallon every time she does.
“Honestly, that’s pretty insane to me,” Runge said.
In 2019, Illinois passed a law that established yearly increases in fuel taxes after not raising those rates since the early 1990s. That year, the tax doubled from $.19 per gallon to $.38 per gallon.
The gas tax is used to fund construction projects at the state and local levels. It’s part of Governor J.B. Pritzker’s $41 billion Rebuild Illinois Program. In the Illinois Quad Cities, more than $140 million from the program is set aside for road improvements, including $100 million for work on I-74 near John Deere Road.
“If it goes towards the roads, which I had no idea, I’m all for it because I live on a crappy road, and I know everyone else is waiting for their streets to get done,” Runge said.
The Illinois state tax on diesel fuel also increased Monday by just over 3% to $.54 a gallon. Since July 2023, Illinois has collected nearly $3 billion in state gas tax revenue.
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