If you're currently in the process of planning your summer road trips, looks like you'll need to factor more gas money into your vacay budget.

Rising gas prices in the summer is not a new thing, but a possible 14% price increase is.

According to WGN, the US Government is estimating that;

Prices at the pump are likely to be 14 percent higher than last summer — hitting an average of $2.74 per gallon

No one likes paying more at the pump, but it sounds much better than the major motor fuel tax that the Illinois Economic Policy Institute has proposed.

When I saw this article from the Illinois News Network, my mouth completely dropped.

During a recent House meeting, the Illinois Economic Policy Institute proposed that doubling the state's fuel tax would help fund the major road improvements that Illinois desperately needs.

Illinois News Network reports that Mary Craighead from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute said;

The gasoline tax would need to be as high as 85 cents per gallon and a special fuel tax, which covers diesel fuel, would need to be as high as a dollar per gallon to make up the shortfall

That sounds bad, right? Wait. It gets better.

The Illinois News Network article also says the proposal included some other options as well...

 to increase the vehicle registration fee from $101 yearly to $578 a year.

“That’s a 472 percent increase,” Craighead said, adding that the state needs to consider alternative funding mechanisms. “One of those being a vehicle miles traveled fee, and something between 4 to 5 cents per mile would generate nearly as much funding as needed here.”

Excuse me, what? You want Illinoisans to pay a vehicle registration fee of $578 a year?!?! In what world do you think that would actually happen? No one will be able to afford to drive, so I can totally see how that would make sense.

Good thing we have an abundance of LimeBikes in Rockford now. People better stop throwing them in trees, because we all may need to use them soon.😠😠😠

Catch Lil Zim on ‘Q98.5 Mornings with Lil Zim & JB’ on Q98.5 from 5:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. Follow her on TwitterInstagram, and Facebook

 

 

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