Chicago City Wire

The Northwest Side GOP Club is mocking Gov. J.B. Pritzker for trumpeting his delay to a gas tax increase. 

“We believe it is a WHOLE $0.02. Oh, thank you, THANK YOU, oh King Pritzker…You're a FRAUD......BTW, how's those toilets?” The Northwest Side GOP said on Facebook. 

Pritzker is forcing gas stations to post signs — in what many are calling an election year gimmick — noting the gas tax has been delayed. 

"As of July 1, 2022, the State of Illinois has suspended the inflation adjustment to the motor fuel tax through December 31, 2022. The price on this pump should reflect the suspension of the tax increase,” the mandatory signage must read.

The Illinois budget included a provision mandating merchants to post a sign informing customers that the state's gas tax rise has been postponed. Retailers who fail to show such a sign face a $500 fine for each day they are out of compliance. The clause was included in House Bill 1497, which was passed together with the state budget this year.

The state budget also mandates grocery businesses to put the following notation on receipts: "The State of Illinois sales tax on groceries is 0% from July 1, 2022 through July 1, 2023." If the grocery store is unable to print the note, it must post it on a four-inch by eight-inch sign that must be displayed in the store. The tax was only suspended during the election year.

Illinois has the country's second-highest gas tax. Gas taxes cost Illinoisans 77.96 cents a gallon. Taxes on both the federal and state levels are included. Missouri boasts the country's second-lowest gas tax, which is located directly across the border to the west. A gallon of gas in Illinois is 42 cents more expensive than in Missouri.