SPRINGFIELD — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Tracy released the following statement after new analysis showed that Gov. J.B. Pritzker's 2019 "Rebuild Illinois" law put the state's gas tax on autopilot, creating automatic annual inflationary increases that could push the tax above $1 per gallon in the coming decades.

Illinois drivers already pay among the highest gas taxes in America. Under the Pritzker-Stratton administration, those taxes are scheduled to increase year after year without legislators ever having to cast another difficult vote.

For nearly 30 years, Illinois' state gas tax remained unchanged. In 2019, Gov. Pritzker doubled it as part of his Rebuild Illinois plan and built automatic inflation adjustments into the law with no expiration date.

"The Pritzker-Stratton Illinois Blueprint doesn't just raise taxes. It raises them automatically so career politicians never have to cast a difficult vote or answer to the people paying the bill," said Republican US Senate Candidate Don Tracy.

"Working families are already getting crushed by the cost-of-living. They deserve honesty and accountability. Instead, Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton built a system that lets government help itself while Illinois families fall further behind.

"This is why people are leaving Illinois. The Illinois Blueprint means higher taxes, higher costs, and less accountability. By contrast,  I believe in common sense: lower the cost-of-living, make government live within its means, and make politicians answer for the decisions they make. That’s the choice Illinois voters will have in November."

###