California midterms will decide fate of controversial new mileage tax: state rep

California’s November midterm elections could determine whether a controversial tax charging motorists for every mile they drive moves forward.

State Assemblyman Carl DeMaio warns that Democrats could use their two-thirds majority in the state Legislature to advance a statewide mileage-based tax, and says that breaking that supermajority in the 2026 election would effectively block the proposal.

Under the plan described by DeMaio, motorists could be charged between six and nine cents for every mile driven, in addition to existing gas and vehicle taxes.

Drivers would have their mileage recorded electronically or undergo annual mileage inspections before receiving a bill based on how far they traveled, according to DeMaio.

At the lower six-cent rate, someone driving 15,000 miles annually would pay an additional $900 per year.

DeMaio argues that would be roughly equivalent to adding 87 cents per gallon to the gas tax.

“Because of the extreme policies of Democrats in Sacramento, California has the highest cost of living in the nation – and now the Democrats want to make it worse by imposing a crazy new Mileage Tax on all drivers,” he said.

The Republican lawmaker claims the additional revenue would not necessarily translate into better roads and has accused state leaders of diverting money already collected from motorists toward other priorities.

“We already pay a gas tax and a car tax for roads that are falling apart, and that money has been diverted elsewhere,” DeMaio explained.

He also argues that a per-mile charge could disproportionately affect working-class Californians with longer commutes because high housing costs have pushed them farther from major employment centers.

Efforts to explore mileage-based alternatives to the gas tax have been underway in California for years.

A mileage tax pilot program was included in SB 1 in 2018, according to DeMaio, while officials in San Diego County later considered a county-level version in 2021 before abandoning the effort after public opposition.

DeMaio is now seeking to make the issue a defining one in several state Assembly and Senate contests this November.

He argues Democrats are unlikely to put a mileage tax directly before voters and instead could enact one through the Legislature if they maintain the required two-thirds majority.

“Democrats aren’t going to give us a chance to vote on this at the ballot box, because they know voters would vote it down,” DeMaio said.

“All they need is two-thirds of the state legislature to impose a Mileage Tax – but if we can break the supermajority in the 2026 midterm election, we can stop the mileage tax and any other crazy tax they are peddling,” he added.

DeMaio’s political organization, Reform California, has spent the past year recruiting and endorsing state Assembly and Senate candidates who have pledged to oppose a mileage tax.

The group is also directing volunteers and resources toward races it believes could determine whether Democrats retain their legislative supermajority.

“Let me be clear: the fate of the Mileage Tax is on the ballot this November in the form of who’s running for state assembly and state senate in our target seats,” DeMaio said.

He urged opponents of the proposal to turn out in those races and encourage other voters to do the same.

“Once this election is over, the supermajority either holds or it doesn’t,” DeMaio said. “If it holds, they’ll have the votes to pass this tax, and every other tax hike they’ve been sitting on. If it breaks, none of it gets through.”

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters