LETTERS

Don't raise taxes to fix transportation; spend effectively

Jon Marshall's article about Chicago area mass transit and road building interests teaming up to mutually raise their funding levels (see Illinois Issues, February 1998, page 14) somehow manages to avoid any discussion of existing road and transit tax levels or the huge tax increases necessary to support their "partnership."

Suffice to say that transit and road building interests are anxious to increase Illinois' already high state gasoline tax as well as other taxes and fees. Unfortunately, Marshall's story offered no analysis of whether existing taxes are being spent effectively.

Illinois gasoline consumers already pay the fifth highest base gasoline tax in the nation (gas tax plus sales tax). Moreover, Illinois is the only state to allow local governments to levy gasoline taxes. In Chicago, these ill-conceived local taxes combined with state taxes add up to the highest gas tax in the nation — nearly 60 cents per gallon. Most consumers accept gasoline taxes because they believe they're "user fees," i.e., the taxes they pay go to support roads or in some cases mass transit. Not true in Chicago and Cook County! None of the tens of millions in local taxes raised annually goes to roads or transit.

So, if local governments refuse to spend existing gasoline tax revenue on mass transit or roads, why should Illinois gasoline consumers support another increase to what already is the highest gasoline tax in the nation?

The problem in Illinois is not the level of transportation taxation, but rather how those revenues are spent.

David A. Sykuta
Illinois Petroleum Council
Springfield

36 / March 1998 Illinois Issues