Written by Sasha Reva
There is a very slim chance that California lawmakers will pause the annual summer increase in California’s gasoline tax with the deadline of May 1st coming soon.
Governor Gavin Newsom spoke about the pain at the pump and that he is waiting to implement a 5.6% tax hike scheduled which will take effect on July 1.
The tax will be used to fund roads and different infrastructure projects. This tax will generate about $8.8 billion in revenue.
Lawmakers have failed to stop the gas tax because they need to pass legislation by Sunday for it to stop, however, they have another bill to introduce on the matter.
“It is clear now that the Legislature will not act in time to provide that immediate, limited relief, but we look forward to working with lawmakers on the Governor’s proposal for direct payments to Californians wrestling with rising prices,” Alex Stack, Newsom’s spokesperson said.
California already has the nation’s highest gas tax at 51 cents per gallon. Going into the summer, it will rise to 53.9 cents per gallon. Currently, the average price per gallon in the state of California is $5.680. Almost all of the counties in Southern California are above average, such as San Diego County which sits at $5.732 per gallon. The highest county average is in rural Mono County, which sits at a whopping $6.612 per gallon
This January, California State Republicans introduced a bill that would immediately suspend the gas tax and backfill the projects. The proposal has failed due to a shortage of votes in March.
The war between Ukraine and Russia put those gas prices even higher. Even though oil prices dipped below $100 per barrel, gas prices will stay high.
Photo Cred: Jae C. Hong/ Associated Press
