Rock Island Today

Illinois state Rep. Tony McCombie’s (R-Savanna) fight to bring tax relief to residents of her 71st District seems to never end.

Even after lawmakers in Springfield voted to raise registration fees on electric vehicles (EVs) to $251, McCombie, who opposed the proposal from start to finish, is still speaking out on behalf of EV owners – who recently learned that not even early renewals will help them escape the rising fees.  

“These higher fees are hitting consumers hard,” McCombie recently said in a press release. “Those on a fixed budget and seniors in our region near the state border are reporting having to make some really tough decisions in their household budgets because of increased taxes and fees.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker

In addition to the higher registration fees, EVs are also transitioning from a two-year plate to a one-year deal starting Jan. 1. McCombie argues that the higher fees couldn’t come at a worse time for already stressed-out taxpayers.

“It’s yet another knock to overburdened taxpayers during the holiday season,” she said.

The harsh reality is that the struggles never seem to end for hard-hit taxpayers across the state, with a new report by business and economic publisher Kiplinger recently concluding that Illinois is now the “least tax-friendly” state in the U.S. Earlier this year, McCombie co-sponsored House Bill 153, created in opposition of the graduated income tax now being pushed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.   

“If my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are serious about helping the middle class, we need to take a serious look at our regressive property tax system,” McCombie said in a statement. “Property taxes are rising year after year, making it more difficult for working families to make ends meet and further driving jobs and opportunity across the borders.”