Democrats’ plan risks fuel shortages & price spikes, but won’t reduce costs for drivers.
SACRAMENTO – Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (Yuba City) condemned Democrats’ rushed passage of Gavin’s Gas Tax, which empowers unelected bureaucrats to impose new costs and regulations that could lead to gas shortages, rationing and price spikes. The bill, which passed less than a week after being introduced, will create a new government agency to arbitrarily decide how much profit businesses are allowed to make, disrupting California’s energy market and threatening the reliability of the state’s fuel supply.
“Democrats have spent years driving up the cost of gas with a steady stream of taxes, fees and regulations. This bill is no different,” said Gallagher. “When we see gas lines and soaring prices, Democrats will have only themselves to blame, and I’m confident that Californians will hold them accountable. If Democrats were serious about lowering gas prices, they would back our efforts to give drivers a gas tax holiday.”
Before Gov. Newsom began pushing this latest tax increase, his own administration admitted that California’s high gas prices are due to an isolated fuel market, costly regulations and taxes.
At a State Senate hearing on an earlier version of the tax increase, experts noted that Newsom’s plan was unlikely to bring down costs, while Democratic Senators raised alarms about the consequences of the plan and pondered their own role in driving up prices.
The bill passed today on a 52-19 vote, with all Republicans in opposition.
