ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Illinois drivers this summer will be paying 6.2 cents a gallon more in state gas taxes than they did during Christmas, according to the Illinois Policy Institute.

The Illinois Department of Revenue announced the July 1 hike will cost drivers 3.1 cents – the same amount as a hike at the beginning of the year — a total of 6.2 cents per gallon in 2023.

Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law a $45 billion infrastructure plan in 2019. That plan included automatic inflation adjustments every July 1, meaning state lawmakers no longer need to vote on unpopular gas tax rate changes.

The new 3.1 cent increase brings Illinois’ motor fuel tax to 45.4 cents per gallon, up from 42.3 cents on Jan. 1 and 39.2 cents a year ago, according to the institute.

After the July 1 increase, Illinois will have the fourth-highest motor fuel excise tax in the nation.