This Big Tax Proposal Could Cost Illinois Motorists A Lot of Money
If you commute a long distance for work, a new proposal by Illinois gubernatorial candidate JB Pritzker would potentially cost you a significant amount of money.
The Daily Herald reports that Pritzker has proposed an Illinois tax based on the number of miles a person drives instead of how much fuel they burn. The vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax would be used to rebuild roads, bridges, and waterways that are need of repair, according to Pritzker.
Taxing drivers based on how much gas they burn is becoming more difficult because many Illinois motorists have started driving fuel-efficient vehicles, so Pritzker sees the VMT as a possible alternative for paying to repair infrastructure.
There's no word on exactly how much drivers would have to shell out or how the tax would work. All we know is that a significant amount of people would be affected by a VMT tax, including commuters and those that live in rural communities.
Many are opposed to the tax, including Republican House rep Brian W. Stewart, who signed on to a no per mile tax resolution in July. We'll see if the proposal actually ends up going into effect if Pritzker is elected in November.
H/T to Mark Charvat at TSM Rockford.