Letter To The Editor: State Of Illinois Is Biggest "Gouger" With Its Excise Tax

Letter To The Editor:

So Senator Duckworth wants to go after oil price "gougers". I personally think the biggest "gouger" is the State of Illinois! Illinois just doubled the state's excise tax 2 1/2 years ago, and indexed it to inflation! Hello, we all know what inflation is doing now. And you watch, when the inflation rate drops back down I'll bet that excise tax stays high. It will only go up, not back down.

And then, what about the especially cruel gouging tax on the backs of Illinoisians? That's the 6.25% sales tax Illinois also exploits from its citizens creating a price distortion that gets even higher, the higher the price! We need some transparency in gasoline prices; let the gas stations post the pre-tax price per gallon so everyone can know how much they are being "gouged" with taxes! Or, the question should be: Why do gas stations price gas with all taxes included?

Mike McCune

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