Kendall County Times

Illinois State Rep. Mark Batinick (R-Plainfield) recently called temporary tax relief measures implemented by Illinois Democrats nothing more than election year gimmicks.

Beginning on July 1, Illinois' 1% grocery tax on food items will be suspended for one year, Newsweek said this week. The 1% tax will remain on medicine and hygiene products, while other goods, such as candy and alcohol, will still be taxed at 6.25%. Waiving this tax would save Illinois Taxpayers approximately $400 million through July 2023.

Illinois Democrats have also passed legislation that will postpone this year's scheduled gas tax increase of 2.2 cents from July to January, Fox News reported. The bill will require gas stations to put stickers on gas pumps notifying Illinoisans of the postponement. Gas stations will be fined $500 dollars per day if they refuse to display the stickers. Josh Sharp, president and CEO of the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association, called the mandatory stickers "free election year advertising for the Governor."

Batinick believes that these temporary measures don't go far enough, and he is calling for more permanent tax reforms. 

"Democrats' temporary, election-year tax measures do not go nearly far enough," Batinick said in a statement posted on Facebook this week. "If our colleagues on the other side of the aisle were serious about providing relief to struggling Illinois families, they would work to reduce taxes every year, not just when it's politically convenient."

Illinois Policy reported that the gas tax increase delay is part of a bundle of tax rebates and delays in the record $46.5 billion FY 23 budget. The tax rebates and delays will save the average Illinois family $556. The 2.2 cents increase to the gas tax will take effect Jan. 2023 and will be followed by another increase in July 2023, likely of 3.8 cents per gallon, bringing Illinois' total gasoline tax up to 45.2 cents per gallon.

Illinois is one of only 13 states in the country that imposes a tax on groceries, CNBC reported.