Pritzker leaves door open for RTA sales tax hike
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Governor Pritzker was asked about the House transit bill during an unrelated press conference this morning…
Reporter: Governor, you met with Speaker Welch and President Harmon last night, was there any agreement to hold off on some of the revenues in the House transit bill?
Pritzker: It’s clear that both the Senate President and the Speaker and I want to come together around a bill that will work for the state of Illinois. Most importantly, for funding a world-class transit system. And so that’s what many discussions that took place yesterday were really all about. And there was progress there.
Reporter: Did you give them any guidance or leadership on what revenues you wouldn’t like not to be in the bill or to be in the bill?
Pritzker: Well, each of us had views that were brought to the table and put in the middle of the table and worked on together to make sure that there was an understanding about what could pass. That’s the important thing. In the end, you’ve got to get members of both chambers behind it. And to make sure that we can do it as expeditious of fashion as possible.
* On if the bill can get done during veto session…
Reporter: Governor, is the transit bill effectively dead now for the veto session in your mind?
Pritzker: The transit bill is not dead. I can tell you, there’s a whole lot of conversation and collaboration is still going on. And so the work is continuing.
Reporter: What about a special session? If it doesn’t happen now would that be called for that? And would you also include remapping?
Pritzker: We’re going to do what’s necessary to get a transit bill passed. We all understand how important to fund transit throughout the state of Illinois. And so we’re going to attempt to get it done ASAP.
* On what qualifies as a broad-base tax increase…
Reporter: In the spring, you said you wouldn’t support broad-base tax increases. Does that remain true to this day and include the transit bill?
Governor: When we talk about broad base, [there’s] pretty much three big broad-based taxes that exist in Illinois. That’s what I’m referring to when I talk about broad-base taxes. There’s individual income taxes, corporate income taxes and sales tax, right? That applies to the whole state. Those are the things that I think we should stay away from and indeed I’ve expressed that. And like I’ve said, everybody’s thrown on the table thinks it’s the best way to go about paying for a world class transit.
Reporter: So the RTA sales tax increase, is that off the table?
Pritzker: If you want to talk about that particularly, that is not a statewide broad-based tax. That isn’t something I talked about. I just spoke about three big buckets I said I’d like to avoid. There are lots of things that have been brought up, you’re asking about one in particular. There are really a lot of, a long list of ideas that have been put on the table and you’ve got to get some work. I realize that the Republicans don’t want to pay for anything and they would love to make everything world class but they think it doesn’t cost any money.
And so from my perspective no one likes to have to find revenue to pay for things, but it’s the only way you can actually get something done.
- Michael McLean - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 11:17 am:
It was pretty shocking to see few revenue sources in the house bill that actually related to transportation. If we want to get people onto transit, we need to make it expensive to drive (which will also help decongest the roads).
Sales tax is pretty regressive. I would prefer the toll surcharge, ridehail fee, burrito taxi fee, and a progressive vehicle registration fee that scales based on the weight of the vehicle (the Escalade tax).
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 11:22 am:
=== we need to make it expensive to drive===
And y’all wonder why your tactics are not popular.
- SwSider - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 11:24 am:
The big guy supporting a regressive sales tax instead of trying for progressive income tax (especially in light of the tax breaks in the big ugly bill) is why I’m fairly confident this is as high as he’ll rise.
- Alice Childress - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 11:28 am:
Make it more expensive to drive? What kind of solution is this? Aside from Chicago and its burbs, Illinois is mostly a rural state. To quote a wise woman, “ain’t nobody got time for that!”
- Steve - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 11:33 am:
-f we want to get people onto transit, we need to make it expensive to drive -
That’s sounds great but most Americans don’t take public transporation to work. Most Americans don’t want to be on someone else’s schedule. Plus , since COVID there’s been more work from home. Public transit has a place but it must be based on buses which allows people to change routes unlike trains.
- Just Another Anon - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 11:38 am:
>a progressive vehicle registration fee that scales based on the weight of the vehicle
Who’s gonna tell him that this is a tax that will disproportionately impact electric cars?
- Think again - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 11:39 am:
= that is not a statewide broad-based tax. =
So a sales tax increase it is; JB can look the voters in the eye and say he’s not reneging on his promise not to raise “broad-based taxes”, a distinction that only a lawyer or lobbyists could make, to the general public, a tax is a tax .
- cal skinner - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 11:43 am:
Rich’s comment is right on.
In the original RTA law, there was
- a parking tax, which was repealed when Downtown Chicago interests figured out that it deterred shoppers.
- a five percent RTA gas tax, which was replaced with a sales tax under Gov. Thompson because it was so unpopular.
What those who wish to hurt car drivers forget is that most of us are not going to use mass transit.
A reform that would save money on dial-a-ride would be to move strongly toward uber, lift, etc., and retire the mini-buses.
- StarLineChicago - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 11:46 am:
=== most Americans don’t take public transporation to work. Most Americans don’t want to be on someone else’s schedule. ===
And this is the chicken-or-egg dilemma post-pandemic transit finds itself in. As you mentioned, work-from-home is what really blew a hole in transit ridership (and therefore farebox revenues), so to keep transit agencies viable they need to start attracting more riders to take a wider variety of trips. For better or worse though, that requires investing in different kinds of transit options, operating more frequently at different times of day. Michael does have a point that we make it a political priority to make transit’s chief competition (driving) cheap and easy to use, so transforming transit is a nearly-impossible task without strategic new ongoing investments.
- Steve - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 11:49 am:
-that most of us are not going to use mass transit.-
This is a very true statement. You’ve be amazed how many trips can be cut down by buying off the internet and taking ubers.
- ChicagoBars - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 11:53 am:
–Cal Skinner–
That is some interesting history on old revenue ideas I did not know. Thank you (banned punctuation).
To the post…I wonder if GA will put a 5 year sunset on the RTA tax to help the tax increase pill go down and then tell aggrieved residents it is just “temporary” to help transition Chicagoland mass transit to the dynamic customer oriented transit system the region deserves? /s
- Think again - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 11:53 am:
= As you mentioned, work-from-home is what really blew a hole in transit ridership (and therefore farebox revenues)=
That trend is quickly reversing…
For the third year in a row, regional transit ridership was up by double-digits in 2024
https://www.rtachicago.org/blog/2025/01/28/for-the-third-year-in-a-row-regional-transit-ridership-was-up-by-double-digits-in-2024
- Tranist Love - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 11:56 am:
You can make driving more expensive, but also have the inverse of people saving money by making it possible for people to choose driving less. If you can replace 3 or 4 car trips a month with a transit trip, because we adequately fund it, then whatever extra you’re paying in tax is offset. It’s not that hard to understand Rich. How about instead of tearing down your fellow working class neighbors you think about what helps them. This is a new concept that, because of people like you Rich, no one in the US has experienced world-class transit before. Luckily, there’s an entire world that has done it so we have a good understanding of what works, economically speaking. Are you suggesting that our tax system provides enough income to fix all our roads and highways or has it just not affected you, Rich, so it doesn’t exist?
- DuPage Saint - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 11:57 am:
If ridership is down because of Covid and change in work and ability to work at home then less mass transit is required and route reductions should happen. Fairs should be increases and maybe be adjusted for inflation automatically every 3 years. A tax is inevitable and money should be spent on safety and cleanliness to attract riders. It should be a unified system but please have a small efficient board not over 9 members
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 11:58 am:
===How about instead of tearing down your fellow working class neighbors you think about what helps them===
Where the heck did that nonsense come from?
- Newsflash - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 12:08 pm:
Driving is already expensive and most don’t have any other choice
- StarLineChicago - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 12:13 pm:
=== If ridership is down because of Covid and change in work and ability to work at home then less mass transit is required and route reductions should happen. ===
Transit does not scale that way.
Imagine two office workers who both worked in the same office five days a week in 2019. Today, one of them works in the office on Mondays and Thursdays, and the other works in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The bus still needs to run five days a week to serve them.
- Excitable Boy - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 12:15 pm:
- If you can replace 3 or 4 car trips a month with a transit trip, because we adequately fund it, then whatever extra you’re paying in tax is offset. -
That only works if taking public transportation is an option for where you live and work. It isn’t an option for the vast majority of this state.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 12:19 pm:
===It isn’t an option for the vast majority of this state. ===
Depends if you’re talking population or geography.
Also, the vast majority of Illinoisans don’t have children in public schools. The vast majority of Illinoisans don’t drive on rural roads. The vast majority of Illinoisans don’t use Downstate sewer and water.
And yet…
- B - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 12:21 pm:
It is crazy to me that I still see so many people who dont use transit that dont seem to u derstand that transit still benefits them massively.
- Jack in Chatham - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 12:22 pm:
The minimum wage has gone from $3.35 to $15 or 4.5 times increase. If the alcohol user fees were increased by the same rate there would be $1.085 billion in new revenue. Problem solved. The Liquor license fee should also be increased by the same rate of increase so the Liquor Control Commission can better execute their function. Rather than $750 each year bump it up to $3,375. $9 million dollars doesn’t provide much enforcement of our liquor Statutes when it is spread over 12,000 licensees spread out over 102 counties. Pretty thin oversight. The tobacco retail license of $200 probably is not enough to remove Illinois from being a top three cigarette bootlegger State. Millions in revenue lost due to a lack of enforcement dollars. $200 times 4.5 is $900, maybe that would help - just collect taxes already owed. Some studies suggest Illinois is missing tobacco revenue on one out of six packs sold; that is huge non-compliance.
- Common Sense - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 12:31 pm:
Why not just raise fairs to the point that the system is self sustaining. The fact that some people believe that others should subsidize their travel is no nonsensical.
- StarLineChicago - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 12:36 pm:
=== Why not just raise fairs to the point that the system is self sustaining. ===
If it could be self-sustaining, it’d be a private business. There’s a reason why transit started as private enterprises and had to be taken over by the public sector to avoid total collapse.
=== The fact that some people believe that others should subsidize their travel is no nonsensical. ===
I have some bad news about how our roads are funded.
- City Zen - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 12:43 pm:
==Driving is already expensive and most don’t have any other choice==
For many years, I endured the dreaded reverse commute where I lived in Chicago and commuted to the suburbs. Some folks want you to pay extra for that privilege.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 12:44 pm:
===I have some bad news about how our roads are funded. ===
Also, those carriers in the Persian Gulf ain’t there for their health.
- Excitable Boy - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 12:46 pm:
- Also, the vast majority of Illinoisans don’t have children in public schools. The vast majority of Illinoisans don’t drive on rural roads. The vast majority of Illinoisans don’t use Downstate sewer and water. -
I fully understand and don’t even necessarily disagree with the commenter, just pointing out that a lot of people won’t have the option to offset the increased taxes by using public transportation.
- Steve - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 12:46 pm:
- If the alcohol user fees were increased by the same rate there would be $1.085-
The law of diminishing returns does apply to certain taxes. Not all, but certain ones. Are you sure you can collect more revenue on an alcohol tax if Wisconsin and Indiana are cheaper? A certain percentage of the Illinois population lives near borders and can take advantage of certain tax situations. How many people in the 10th Ward are buying cigarettes and alcohol on the other side of 112th street in Indiana??
- Stosh - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 12:59 pm:
== I have some bad news about how our roads are funded. ==
The cost of all roads is covered by the commerce the roads enable. This has been true since the road was invented, but seems to be lost to people in the 21st century, who are too busy diverting all the revenue to other things, then complaining the roads cost money.
If this were not true, places that are not burdened with the curse of roads - Utah, Wyoming, etc - would be absolutely swimming in prosperity.
- B - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 12:59 pm:
Someone complaining about public transit being subsidized while driving a car that is levels of magnitude more publicly subsidized just shows how out of touch with facts and reality so many voters are.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 1:12 pm:
===The cost of all roads is covered by the commerce the roads enable===
And mass transit doesn’t enable commerce?
- Stosh - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 1:29 pm:
== And mass transit doesn’t enable commerce? ==
It does, but if the CTA was re-supplying restaurants and delivering Amazon Prime packages, I’d say it would have a stronger case
- Carbo Load - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 1:30 pm:
Instead of making it too expensive to drive which is a convoluted way to punish people for driving, make changes to make it much more appealing to use transit. Start with making it CLEAN and SAFE.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 1:32 pm:
===if the CTA was re-supplying restaurants ===
Um, lots of people take transit to work. They take transit to restaurants. They take transit to work at restaurants. Etc.
Also, the fewer cars on the road, the easier it is for commercial trucks to get around. If that’s your argument, you should be pushing for more transit options.
- Volkov - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 1:42 pm:
I would advise to anyone arguing against the provision of mass transit to consider what the effects on your life would be if your car were not just made more expensive - but taken away. Michael’s suggestion of aligning the costs of transportation modes with the externalities of those modes is not the same as arguing for a reduction in service, which would be the equivalent to taking away someone’s vehicle in an area where transit does not exist. In short, please understand the stakes and not conflate the two.
- Put the fun in unfunded - Thursday, Oct 30, 25 @ 2:12 pm:
CTA fares have basically not increased since 2009 (train w/transfer to bus 2.50 then, 2.50 now).