Illinois gas tax increase fuels concern in Rockford-area drivers
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) — Drops of gasoline spill from Sam Cassens’ pump. At the Shell station off S. Meridian Rd., the Winnebago resident slides the handle into place.
“I get high-grade gas. I got an old car,” said Cassens after topping off his Cadillac sedan. “I need it.”
The pump’s screen shares $41.09 as the cost of filling the “old car.” It’s a number Cassens shares he isn’t thrilled to glance towards, especially as a price hike looms in the coming days.
Starting July 1, an increase in the motor fuel tax will increase the price paid at every pump in Illinois. Each year, the state uses the Consumer Price Index (a federally calculated measure of inflation prices impacting the U.S. economy) to adjust the MFT, or “gas tax.”
Revenue from the fee supports the state maintaining its 292,789 miles of roads, raising $2,818,060,606.73 for Fiscal Year 2025. State Sen. Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) claims the tax is necessary for keeping a smooth ride across Illinois.
“The alternative is poor road conditions and the inability to make repairs,” maintained Stadelman.
FY 2026’s increase brings a 2.69% (or 1.3 cents per gallon) increase in the charge. The total MFT will sit at $0.483 per gallon, and $0.558 per gallon in diesel.
“Even if I just drive a little bit, I still got to work more to make that money,” stresses Cassens, an EMT. He worries higher costs may mean fewer weekend trips to Peoria.
“If the prices just keep on rising, like they say they are, I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that anymore.”
Other drivers at the Shell on Rockford’s west side share similar concerns about higher gas prices pinching wallets.
“Groceries up. Gas up. We’re on a fixed income, I’m retired, so is my husband,” said Wendy Gulotta, a Rockford resident. “So, it hurts.”
These days, Kevin Randalls says he pays nearly $100 to fill his truck. With rising prices, he mentions shifting travel plans to save money.
“I have to travel quite a ways to get from one spot to another – I got a little farmette up in Orangeville,” shared Randall, who lives on Rockford’s east side. “I put a lot of mileage on my vehicle and we don’t get enough incentives as farmers.”
Randall criticizes lawmakers and Governor JB Pritzker for burdening Illinoisans with taxes.
Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax policy nonprofit, reports Illinois holds the second highest tax per gallon of gas in the country, hitting $0.665.
Besides the impending rise in the MFT, Randall watches how the conflict between Israel and Iran affects oil prices.
“Until they can settle their differences, we’re just stuck in the middle,” he conceded.
Randall focuses on what higher prices at the pump mean for smaller communities as well.
“People that used to live in Freeport and then have to travel all the way to Rockford because three out of four of the companies closed in Freeport… they’re having to travel to Rockford or Sterling or all the way to Monroe, Wisconsin,” said Randall.
State Rep. Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford) labels the gas tax as “regressive” (i.e., hurting those with lower incomes). Although he understands the MFT serves a purpose, the lawmaker says he’d welcome ending the tax’s annual increase to match inflation.
Sosnowski adds the state should consider “tightening its belt.”
“We spend a lot of money on a lot of programs that don’t deliver a lot of results,” he said, referencing an Illinois program offering health care to undocumented noncitizens.
Before Cassens leaves the Shell for his EMT shift, he suggests his openness to the MFT.
“The roads are bad, especially in Rockford… When you’re in the back of an ambulance, you can feel every single little bump – it’s bad out there,” he argued. “If that helps fix the roads, I think I’m all for it.”
Several other tax increases and implementations will start on July 1. Other fees include those on sports bets and staying at short-term rentals, like an Airbnb or Vrbo.
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