 The representative went on to explain that his philosophy is to just
say no to any more taxes, and he urges citizens to sign a petition
opposing the Democrats' plan to raise the gasoline tax.The
legislation that Mitchell vigorously opposes is
House Bill 1, which
proposes to raise the state motor fuel tax by 8 cents per gallon.
He went on to say, "I believe this tax hike is the wrong thing to
do in a weak economy. How can anyone be talking about raising taxes
on working families when our economy is in such bad shape and we are
struggling with double-digit unemployment? I hope our legislative
leaders realize people can't afford a $500 million tax increase on
such a basic necessity as gasoline."
Mitchell cited statistics that show Illinois currently has a
motor fuel tax of 19 cents per gallon, with the state collecting
nearly $1.4 billion in motor fuel tax receipts in fiscal 2006. In
addition to the motor fuel tax, Illinois has a 5 percent state sales
tax on gasoline, making Illinois one of only nine states that impose
such a tax.
"The state of Illinois shouldn't be in the business of gas
gouging," he said. "A tax increase on gas is a terrible idea. Just
because the price of gas has fallen below $2 per gallon doesn't mean
it won't go back up to $4 or more in the summer."
Mitchell says he is distributing petitions to local gas stations
in his district as well as offering them at his office in Forsyth.
Citizens who wish to sign the petition online can go to
http://www.mitchell-b.ilhousegop.org/. He intends to take the
completed petitions to Springfield next month.
[Text from file received from the office
of state Rep. Bill
Mitchell; LDN staff] |
