North Cook News

Republican candidate Jillian Rose Bernas said will oppose a mileage tax if she wins the 56th House district seat this November.

“I do not think that legislators have exhausted all their legislative options to help the state’s financial position before proposing tax hikes,” Bernas told North Cook News. “They have not addressed prevailing wage, they have not addressed future pension liabilities and they have not addressed other reforms to help grow the economy in Illinois.”

The issue arose after Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner accused his Democratic gubernatorial challenger J.B. Pritzker of backing a mileage tax. Although Pritzker denied having a mileage tax proposal, he did say he was open to any ideas for paying for Illinois infrastructure repairs, according to the Illinois News Network (INN).

Rep. Michelle Mussman (D-Schaumburg)

“We’ve got to invest in infrastructure,” Pritzker was quoted in the INN article. ”So we’ve got to find ways to pay for an infrastructure bill because ten years without an infrastructure bill in this state, you all know, our roads and bridges and waterways are crumbling.”

A disciplined spending program is a better way to pay for infrastructure projects, Bernas said.

“This has been absent in Springfield as career politicians like my opponent chose short-term solutions over long-term ones,” she said. “Now they propose taxes on the backs of Illinois families to solve their mistakes. This is not fair, and I am running to change this kick-the-can-down-the-road approach to governance in Springfield.”

Bernas points out that her opponent, Rep. Michelle Mussman (D-Schaumburg), has not backed House Resolution 0766, which was introduced in July to voice opposition to any state tax on motorists for the number of miles they drive.

“She has no other plan but to raise taxes,” Bernas said.

The resolution currently sits in the Rules Committee.

The 56th District includes Bloomingdale, Elk Grove, Palatine, Schaumburg and Wayne.