Rep. Mark Batinick | repbatinick.com
Rep. Mark Batinick | repbatinick.com
Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfiled) is sponsoring HB5723, which would cap the state sales tax on motor fuel at 18 cents per gallon, giving motorists in Illinois some relief for now.
"House Bill 5723 actually caps - lowers and caps - the gas tax. We're one of the few states that pays a percentage - a sales tax gas tax - on top of the base, per gallon gas tax," Batinick said on a YouTube video posted April 3. "So what's happening right now is the state of Illinois is actually seeing a windfall revenue on the backs of lower- and middle-income people, because as gas prices go up, they actually pay a much higher per-gallon tax to the state."
Other Republican legislators have joined as co-sponsors, including Reps. Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett), Amy Grant (R-Wheaton), Chris Miller (R-Robinson), Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville), and Martin McLaughlin (R-Lake Barrington).
The average price of a gallon of regular gas in Illinois is $4.403 as of April 6, according to AAA, up from $3.077 one year ago. The national average price of a gallon of gas is $4.164.
According to Illinois Policy, Illinoisans pay the second-highest gas tax in the country. In 2019, Gov. Pritzker signed a bill doubling the state gas tax from 19 cents to 38 cents.
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