By Ted Slowik
I love what Kirk Dillard, a Republican who represents about half of Naperville in the state Senate, had to say about our illustrious governor, Rod Blagojevich:
“When the governor ran for office five years ago, he had two press conferences at gas stations when gas was less than $2 a gallon, ripping the (then-) incumbent governor for not doing anything on gas prices even though they were half of what they are today under Blagojevich’s watch,” Dillard said.
Now, with gas above $3.50 a gallon, Dillard is calling out Blagojevich, seeking support for Dillard's proposal that the state permanently repeal its 6.25 percent gasoline tax. This tax, mind you, is on top of the state, federal and local sales taxes we already pay at the pump.
Sure, this repeal would remove about $500 million in revenue from Illinois (state motto: "The check is in the mail.") But Dillard says Illinois would easily make it up because many thousands of our residents would stop fleeing over state lines to fill up their tanks. And while they're there they buy smokes and lottery tickets and milk, and all of the sales tax revenue on those items goes to Indiana or Wisconsin or Missouri or Kentucky or wherever.
The most unfunny thing about Illinois' gas tax is that it is based on a percentage of sales, rather than by gallon. As the price of gas goes up, so does Illinois' take. If it was a flat per-gallon tax, the revenue would be more consistent. But with gas prices at record highs, the state is raking in a windfall of revenue.
C'mon, gov, give us a break. We're paying 20 cents more per gallon here than in neighboring states. Put down that federal subpeona into your campaign financing for a minute, and pick up Dillard's proposal to repeal the gas tax and read that, instead.
Let's dump the double dipping state tax AND put pressure on the oil companies! Although this issue is probably slightly more complicated than price gouging, it reamins that the guy on the corner seems to be in bed with all the other guys on the other corners. I suggest they have developed a policy of "tacit compliance". Who ever posts the highest price for a gallon of gas on the internet gets copied by all the others! Ordinarily this would be a violation of anit-trust laws but in this day of the Federal government apathy on imigration we cannot expect enforcement on monopolies.