Spain responds to Governor Pritzker’s Gas Price Relief Comments
At a press availability in Champaign on Tuesday, Governor Pritzker was asked about the possibility of suspending the gas tax in Illinois to provide relief to state drivers from the current high cost of gasoline.
The governor told reporters “We have enough here so that we could make some sort of pause. But I think that’s something the legislature is going to consider over the coming week…we’ll see.”
In response to those comments, State Representative Ryan Spain (R-73rd District) suggests that we start with HB5738.
Spain went on to say “the bill can be an appropriate bipartisan vehicle for this relief and not only provides critically needed relief to Illinois taxpayers but also pauses a tax-on-a-tax. The extra revenue this sales tax generates over the last six months of 2026 would not impact the State’s Rebuild Illinois Plan, the program which repairs roads and bridges.”
Illinoisans continue to pay the highest combined state and local tax rate in the country, according to WalletHub. Illinois’ burden is driven by property, sales and excise taxes that exceed national averages and those in neighboring states.
Spain says suspending the gas tax is the right thing to do for both consumers and the state’s economy.