East Central Reporter

Republican House candidate Chris Miller believes a mileage tax would be a needless burden on the people of his community.

“We are a rural county and everyone here has to drive everywhere they go, often for long distances,” Miller told the East Central Reporter. “How is that any way fair to the people of this district? The solutions to this state’s difficulties have nothing to do with raising taxes even higher. That will only increase the exodus from this state.”

The measure would require motorists to track all the miles they travel with a device placed in their vehicle. The owner or driver would then be billed according to miles traveled, the Illinois News Network (INN) states.

Shirley Bell

Democratic gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker recently said he doesn't have a mileage tax proposal but that he is open to the idea as a means of raising revenue for Illinois’ infrastructure, according to INN.

Infrastructure repairs are estimated to cost $21 billion annually, INN states.

Running against Democrat Shirley Bell in the 110th District, Miller said there are other ways to generate the funds.

“We have to quit spending so much,” he said. “The solution lies in trimming government, stopping the kind of corruption and double-dipping that only hinders this state from being what it could be.”

Miller worries this could be taxpayers last best chance for getting any relief.

“As bad as (House Speaker Mike) Madigan is and as bad as all the damage he’s done has been, should he become governor, Pritzker will be Madigan on steroids,” Miller said. “What that means is more taxes, more regulations and even bigger government. Every bad thing from the left will be amplified.”

Miller said things have become so haphazard in Springfield there are few things derived there that voters can count on and even less of them that are to the common good.  

Lawmakers in Springfield have offered very few tangible solutions to the state's problems and taxes seem to be their answer for everything, Miller said.

“Being taxed more is one of the few constants,” he said. “Plenty of people are just leaving Illinois. They’re done with complaining and are just hitting the road. They see no solutions coming out of Springfield and to change that you have to have new people with fresh ideas.”

Bell would only be more of the same, Miller said.

“Whatever Madigan and Pritzker want is what she would want,” he said. “The template wouldn’t change. It would be the same big spending, tax-and-spend policies the Democrats have always put forth.”

The 110th House District includes Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Edgar and Lawrence counties.