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It's something that frustrates most people, and something that we've all experienced. A new bill introduced in Minnesota looks at regulating this common practice.

I thought that perhaps starting out with "Illinois is #1" would give us all a nice, warm feeling about our state--and that perhaps you might not notice those words hidden within the parentheses that aren't really all that nice and warm.

So what's the problem? It's not like Illinoisans pay the highest tax rates in the nation, or the second-highest property taxes, or among the highest gas prices coast-to-coast...oh, wait.

So here's the great news as we head into a holiday weekend where more Illinoisans will be driving somewhere than we have in a decade: The new gas taxes kick in today.

If you're considering trading in your used car so you can buy yourself something new, you might want to move quickly. After the new year, the trade-in credit is going down and the sales tax is going up.