Ill. doubles gas tax to fund $45 billion infrastructure, capital plan | Dump Truck Company

Illinois Governor BJ Pritzker rallies support for the state’s new $45 billion infrastructure and capital plan, which comes with a 19-cent gas-tax increase.

Illinois residents awoke July 1 to a doubling of the state’s gas tax, from 19 cents to 38 cents a gallon.

The hike is part of a $45 billion plan over the next six years for improvements to roads, bridges, railways, universities, early childhood centers and other state facilities.

Signed June 28 by Governor JB Pritzker, the measure received bipartisan support and is also being billed as a job-creator, expected to add 540,000 jobs, according to Pritzker.

“The Rebuild Illinois plan transforms our state’s approach to transportation infrastructure, finally treating our roads, bridges and railways like 21st century investments and not relics of the past,” he said.

The plan includes $14 billion for new roads and bridges and $11 billion for the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Multi-Year Plan for roads and bridges.

Illinois is the fourth state this year to have increased gas taxes to address road and bridge needs, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

Alabama enacted a 10-cent increase this year to be incrementally implemented over three years, starting September 1 with a 6-cent hike to 24 cents a gallon.

Ohio’s gas-tax increase took place the same day as the Illinois increase, rising from 10.5 cents to 38.5 cents a gallon.

And Arkansas’ gas tax will rise 3 cents to 28 cents and diesel tax 6 cents to 29 cents per gallon October 1. The state also added a levy of 1.6 percent on the average wholesale price of gas and 2.9 percent on the average wholesale price of diesel.