🚨 More Bad News for Illinois Taxpayers 🚨

Illinois Democrats have unveiled a new “Wish List” of 13 tax and fee hikes to raise $1.5 BILLION to fund Chicago’s mass transit system — most of which would be paid by everyone across the state.

Here’s what’s being proposed:

💰 $1 surcharge on all tolls
📦 $1 delivery fee on orders over $100
🚇 25¢ CTA fare hike for trains & buses
🚗 10% tax on rideshare trips (Uber, Lyft, etc.)
🎟️ $5–$10 ticket surcharge on large events (10,000+ seats)
🛣️ 25% daily surcharge on tolls
⚡ 3¢ per kWh tax on EV public charging
🏠 $1.50 per $500 real estate transfer tax in collar counties
✂️ New tax on services (haircuts, oil changes, etc.)
🧾 Payroll “head tax” for Chicago workers
🚦 Increased speed camera usage in the RTA region
🚘 New tax on vehicle sales
🛍️ Increased RTA sales tax in the region

This “wish list” comes as Chicago transit faces a major fiscal cliff – and Springfield Democrats are looking statewide to bail it out. As a reminder, the public transit region in Illinois includes the counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will.

We could see transit legislation during the second week of veto session (October 28–30) or possibly early in 2026.

Tax alert: A new tax on Illinois vehicle sales.

Illinois Democrats will meet in Springfield beginning on Tuesday (10/28) to consider their “wish list” of tax increases to bail out City of Chicago mass transit. One of the items listed on the Democrat wish  that was released last week, is a ”new tax on Illinois vehicle sales”.

What we don’t know-
The details of this proposal have not been officially released to the public, but the tax appeared on the Democrat “wish list” that was discussed in Springfield last week.

It is unclear whether this new tax will be a fee for the seller or buyer of the vehicle, whether it will apply to new or used vehicles or both.

The percentage or dollar amount of the tax has not been released as of yet,  but what is clear is the tax would impact the price of the vehicle. 

Democrats have been tight lipped on details of this tax. Illinois residents already pay a substantial sales tax, transfer and registration fees for vehicles purchased and sold. It’s unclear how much more this tax will cost Illinois consumers.