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Originally Posted by frazod
FINALLY under $3.00 in my area - I assume it won't last long, though. Still well over $3.00 in the city.
For some reason, Chicago has really been singled out this year. fuckers.  |
By 'fuckers,' I assume you mean local and state politicians?
But don't blame the oil companies for singling out Chicago, says Dave Sykuta of the Illinois Petroleum Council. The real culprit is taxes.
* While only nine states and the District of Columbia allow sales taxes on gasoline at all, Illinois not only has a sales tax but it has the biggest one -- 5 percent.
* Illinois is also the only state that allows local taxing bodies to pile on; that means the city of Chicago and the Regional Transportation Authority get an additional 4 percent, bringing the sales tax in Chicago to 9 percent.
* Then Chicago also grabs an additional 5 cents a gallon and Cook County takes an additional 6 cents a gallon.
* Add in the federal and state motor fuel taxes, which are earmarked to fund roads, and you get nearly 80 cents a gallon for taxes.
But it's the sales taxes that bring on the big hurt, according to Sykuta. Because they are a percentage, more taxes get paid as the price of gas goes up.
"We're the biggest tax collector outside of the IRS," Sykuta said of the service station industry.