Exclusive | Steve Hilton rips Xavier Becerra’s proposed mileage tax: ‘They never stop gouging you’

Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton blasted Democratic rival Xavier Becerra on Thursday for opening the door to a mileage tax that could cost California drivers another $1,000 a year — accusing Democrats of relentlessly gouging working families.

“Now we know that with Xavier Becerra as governor, you’ll pay an extra $1,000 a year just for driving your car,” Hilton told the California Post, just moments before hosting a news conference in the Central Valley town of Sanger to discuss a proposal to make gas $3 a gallon.

“They never stop gouging you. First, it’s the highest gas prices in the country, then the highest car registration fees. Now they want to track you everywhere you drive and charge up to 10 cents a mile.”

“This is disgusting Democrat elitism at its worst,” Hilton added.

The blistering attack came after Becerra, a former California attorney general and Biden administration health secretary, signaled his willingness to consider taxing motorists for every mile they drive to help pay for the state’s deteriorating roads.

“Everything should be on the table,” Becerra told KCRA’s Ashley Zavala when asked whether he would support a mileage-based tax as governor.

“Our roads aren’t maintained just by some magic wand. We have to pay for it,” Becerra said.

“Do I want to tax people more than necessary? No. Should we pay a gas tax? Yes. Should people who drive electric vehicles, who don’t need gas, pay for those roads to be repaired as well? Absolutely.”

Becerra’s comments handed Hilton a fresh opening just five days before Tuesday’s election, with the Republican making California’s crushing cost of living a centerpiece of his campaign to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Hilton argued that a mileage tax would disproportionately punish Californians who are already struggling to afford housing, gas for their vehicles and everyday necessities.

“The people who will be hit the hardest are working-class Californians and small business owners who drive their cars and trucks for work — not the work-from-home climate warriors sitting on their laptops lecturing the rest of us about how to live,” Hilton said.

California has spent years studying a mileage-based road charge as an alternative to the gas tax, which transportation officials warn will generate less revenue as motorists increasingly switch to electric and more fuel-efficient vehicles.

The state’s latest pilot program tested charging drivers based on distance traveled, with a final report due to lawmakers by the end of the year.

State Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) has warned that a potential mileage tax could cost drivers between 6 and 9 cents per mile — on top of existing gasoline and vehicle taxes.

At those rates, a motorist driving 15,000 miles annually could face charges ranging from $900 to $1,350.

Hilton, meanwhile, has promised to dramatically slash the cost of driving in California by lowering gasoline prices to $3 per gallon and capping annual vehicle registration fees at $73.

His proposals include eliminating the state gasoline tax, rolling back environmental regulations and boosting domestic oil production — changes that would require cooperation from California’s Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Hilton said Thursday that he would also block any legislation establishing a mileage tax.

“As governor, I will veto the mileage tax,” he said. “This is just another example of how you’ll save with Steve.”

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