Sacramento, CA — As part of Senate Bill 1 approved in 2017, the state’s gas tax is annually adjusted for inflation on July 1st.
Next week, the tax will increase by 2.2 cents to 63.4 cents.
It is drawing the ire of California Assembly Republican Leader Heath Flora, who represents local communities like Copperopolis, La Grange, and Oakdale.
“Like clockwork, we’re facing another tax increase on Californians,” said Flora. “Families are already paying some of the highest gas prices in the country. Instead of raising taxes, we should be trying to make gas more affordable.”
When SB 1 was approved in 2017, the gas tax was 27.8 cents per gallon. In under a decade, he says it has more than doubled, and it will continue increasing automatically every July. On top of the gas excise tax, he says Californians pay roughly 13 cents in state and local sales taxes, about 24 cents for cap-and-trade related fees, roughly 20 cents for the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, and another two cents for the underground storage tank fee. Altogether, with taxes, fees, and mandates, the extra cost is about $1.20 per gallon.
