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 Taxing Illinois drivers by the mile may be off Springfield’s
itinerary.
State Rep. Marcus Evans Jr., D-Chicago, tabled a proposal in the Illinois House
of Representatives on Feb. 19 that sought to create a pilot program for a
vehicle miles traveled, or VMT, tax. Evans introduced House Bill 2864 in the
Illinois House of Representatives on Feb. 14, and tabled it a week after
introducing the bill.
In a state that ranks lowest in government trust but among the highest in
gasoline taxes, voters can find encouragement in Evans’ responsiveness to
Illinoisans’ voices: More than 30,000 people signed a petition on
illinoispolicy.org stating their opposition to a VMT tax after the bill was
filed.
 “Let’s just talk about the idea,” Evans said, according to the State
Journal-Register. The lawmaker suggested it would be wise to “educate ourselves
on what it is first. We can still have conversations, but not for bill
purposes,” he said.
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HB 2864 would have allowed up to 5,000 Illinois
vehicles to participate in a trial program in which drivers paid a
VMT tax in place of motor fuel taxes. The state gas tax is currently
19 cents per gallon, but once fees and general sales tax are
factored in, motorists pay on average 37.3 cents per gallon in state
taxes at the pump.
In January 2018, during an interview with the Daily
Herald editorial board, then-gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker
said he’d be open to a VMT tax. “It’s only fair, right, that if
you’re on a road and traveling on that road that you should pay your
fair share on the road like everybody else is paying,” Pritzker told
the Herald. Pritzker has since denied having a specific plan to
enact the tax.
In November, voters in DuPage County showed just how unpopular the
tax was when they overwhelmingly rejected a VMT advisory referendum.
Evans was right to listen to Illinois taxpayers, and set an example
for other lawmakers in Springfield. The VMT tax should stay in the
junkyard.
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