BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Social media chatter has been buzzing about a so-called "mileage tax" coming to California, but the reality is more nuanced than the online conversation suggests.
While there is a bill regarding the continued study of a road use charge or mileage-based tax in California, it is not a direct tax — at least not yet.
Assembly Member Lori Wilson, who represents communities including Vacaville and Vallejo north of San Francisco, authored the bill. Wilson said the legislation gives an end date to studies the state is running on road user charges or a mileage-based tax as an alternative to the current gas tax system.
Wilson added that the gas tax was never meant to be a permanent solution. With fewer gas-powered vehicles on the road and more fuel-efficient cars, the state is collecting less revenue at the pump to fund road repairs.
"We also knew there was a ticking clock on it that it was going to give an infusion of resources, but it wasn't going to be sustainable. And that's our issue is we're the fourth largest economy in the world, and we do not have a sustainable revenue for road infrastructure and maintenance. And so we really need to come to that solution, because our revenues that we do use are declining. We already know we have a shortfall of $120 billion in need. And I know folks know this because they feel it when they're on the roads," Wilson said.
According to the state, the current situation will result in a $215 billion shortfall in transportation needs.
Not all lawmakers are on board. Assembly Member Dr. Jasmeet Bains was the sole Democrat in the state Assembly to vote against the bill's passage. Bains said it is a ludicrous idea to consider even studying more taxes as residents in Kern County already struggle to pay for everyday essentials.
"Study or whether actually increasing taxes, it's not an option for working families. How much more can we raise taxes off the backs of the poor? How can I allow even a study to consider that at a time where I'm seeing health care being cut federally, budget cuts being federally done and at the same time the state's response is, let's increase taxes to incentivize electric vehicles in San Francisco, in the Bay Area," Bains said.
Democratic State Senator Melissa Hurtado echoed that sentiment.
“During my time in the State Legislature I have consistently opposed tax increases. While we know our roads need fixing and we know the current system is not working, we must be careful to not make a bad situation worse for Central Valley drivers. California must take a closer look at how it spends existing gas tax funds and also prove it can spend taxpayer money wisely before it moves forward with a risky scheme like a new mileage tax,” Hurtado said.
We did not hear back from Sen. Shannon Grove by news time. We will update this story when her comment is received.
Despite their differences on the bill, all of the elected officials I spoke with shared one message for constituents: whether you support or oppose this or any issue, reach out to your representatives and make your voice heard.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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