Franks Don’t Get No Respect from Capitol Fax

Rich Miller has cornered the Illinois market on “inside dopester” reporting on his Capitol Fax more or less daily report and his web site.

He’s a liberal and, taking that into account, one can gain information from his stories without accepting his policy viewpoints.

Today he is in full snark about State Rep. Jack Franks.

In an article entitled,

Stuff that ain’t going to happen

Miller writes of a couple of what are called “headline bills.”

They are ones introduced to get a story in a local newspaper or even metropolitan papers and on TV and radio stations.

“* Certain legislation, when it’s introduced, is almost guaranteed to receive a big press pop and then never actually go anywhere…

* And here’s another one…”

It tells of a bill to eliminate the state sales tax on gasoline and diesel fuel and cites a Springfield story that quotes State Rep. Sue Scherer (D-Decatur).

Jack Franks

Jack Franks

The parting shot of this post follows:

“This is a Jack Franks bill, so you know right off the bat that it’s designed for maximum media attention for Democrats who represent more conservative areas. But I’d really like to see Scherer explain what programs she’d cut to equal that $779 million budget reduction.”

A comment under the article reads:

“- Sir Reel – Friday, Sep 20, 13 @ 10:10 am:

“These types of bills should start with, ‘A bill about pandering …’”


Comments

Franks Don’t Get No Respect from Capitol Fax — 5 Comments

  1. Thank God someone is doing something about the double gas tax in Illinois.

    It is unconstitutional.

    Who cares what liberal Rich Miller says, i’m sick of paying 30 cents more at the pump.

  2. DeputyGoodMorning, how is our Constituion helping you?

    We were to be a Consitutional Republic.

  3. Franks can tell voters he tried to reign in fuel taxes, although his chances of success are zero.

    Rather than reigning in taxes there is actually a far larger push to for for increasing taxes by replacing the Flat Income Tax with a Progressive / Variable / Graduated Tax.

    How about a tax on public sector pensions, to support public sector pensions?

    Miller is the best friend of public sector union employees who feed him scoops.

    In return guess which way his blog is slanted.

    There is no source of state government news equal to Liberal Fax so the blog is taken as more mainstream than it really is.

    Illinois Review is a decent source but doesn’t have as much late breaking news as Liberal Fax.
    Since 90% of Illinois state government is unionized Miller has a pretty good gig going for himself, just pander to his audience.

    The gas taxes are as convoluted as state pensions.

    The Illinois Policy Institute did a good piece on Illinois fuel taxes.

    Hosed at the pump: Illinois gas taxes.

    8/31/2012 by Lawrence J. McQuillan, PhD, Chief Economist
    http://illinoispolicy.org/blog/blog.asp?ArticleSource=5011
    Illinois Municipalities and Counties have the option of creating Sales and Motor Fuel Taxes.

    Retail Gas Taxes in IL:

    State Sales Tax: 6.25 cents per gallon.
    State Motor Fuel Tax: 19 cents per gallon gas, 21.5 cents per gallon diesel
    Federal Motor Fuel Tax: 18.4 cents per gallon.
    State Environmental Impact Fee: .8 cents per gallon
    State Underground Storage Fee: .3 cents per gallon
    (added they total 1.1 cents per gallon)
    State Environmental Tax: 1.1 cents per gallon.

    Depending on the municipality and county you could also be subject to:

    Municipal Sales Tax.
    County Sales Tax.
    Municipal Motor Fuel Tax.
    County Motor Fuel Tax.

    DuPage, McHenry, and Kane counties impose a County Motor Fuel Tax of 4 cents per gallon.

    Illinois is only 1 of 7 states to charge a sales tax on gasoline along with CA, CT, GA, IN, MI, & NY.
    Other sources of information on gas taxes:

    County, Township, and Municipality Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) Databases
    http://www.dot.state.il.us/blr/mft.html

    Illinois generates money for the UST Fund through a $0.003 per-gallon motor fuel tax and an $0.008 per-gallon environmental impact fee, both of which are due to expire in 2025.

    Illinois EPA Underground Storage Tank (UST) Fund.
    http://www.epa.state.il.us/land/lust/ust-fund.html

    State Journal Register, by Tim Landis, September 1, 20111
    ‘Tax on tax’ keeps Illinois gas prices among nation’s highest
    http://www.sj-r.com/top-stories/x1638738591/-Tax-on-tax-keeps-Illinois-gas-prices-among-nations-highest
    Tax Foundation, March 21, 2013

    State Gasoline Tax Rates, 2009-2013
    http://taxfoundation.org/article/state-gasoline-tax-rates-2009-2013

    Illinois Department of Revenue

    Gas Tax
    http://tax.illinois.gov/Businesses/TaxInformation/Excise/gas.htm

    Interstate trucking firms pay even higher gas taxes in what’s called a Motor Fuel Use Tax.

    Illinois Department of Revenue

    Motor Fuel Taxes
    http://tax.illinois.gov/Publications/Sales/SalesTaxRates/FixedRatesMotorFuel.htm

    Basically you are getting nickle and dimed to death thanks to our state legislature who will get revenue from as many sources as possible, so other revenue can be diverted to pensions.

    Revenue in Illinois State Government is mainly about how those who receive a pension determined by the State Legislature can retire with the largest pension possible.

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