As Illinois Transit providers face a fiscal cliff of more than $770 million, lawmakers are looking at outside the box ideas for funding. Ideas floated to date include:
• A $1.50 retail delivery tax and real-estate transfer taxes (failed to clear the House during the Spring session)
• A special-event surcharge that could raise interest in the use of mass transit.
• Interest from Illinois road-fund dollars to be used for transit as well as potentially the Illinois Rainy Day Fund.
• Possible rideshare tax.
Missouri’s transit investment is currently limited to $1.7 million from the State Transportation Fund and $5 million from General Revenue. The Missouri gas tax is constitutionally prohibited from being used for anything other than roads and bridges. The larger providers rely on local tax mechanisms for funding.
Additional information on the IL proposed funding sources is available here: https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_826a908a-a503-453d-bb49-f9ad0bc738be.html
