Fresh hell for California drivers as Gavin Newsom quietly hikes gas prices again

Californians are set to be hit by further gas price hikes as Gavin Newsom quietly slipped through another tax increase.

The governor sent out a notice Monday signaling its gas tax will increase by about 2 cents beginning July 1.

The tax will increase from 61.2 cents a gallon to 63.4 cents for regular gas. Diesel fuel saw a smaller jump of about 1.6 cents.

The Golden State is often maligned for having the highest gas prices in the nation. But the tax increase comes as prices for regular gas are falling statewide from $6.10 a gallon on average a week ago to $6.01 on Tuesday, according to AAA.

The added tax guarantees prices will jump slightly on July 1.

California’s excess gas taxes are due to the state’s commitment to battling climate change, Newsom’s administration has signaled.

It also dissuades drivers from adopting gas-guzzling vehicles and sways them toward expensive electric ones.

Lowering gas prices or allowing consumers to keep their gas vehicles has been a popular campaign stance for California gubernatorial candidates, including Republican Steve Hilton and Democrats Matt Mahan and Xavier Becerra.

Hilton said Newsom should’ve suspended the tax long ago.

“Gavin Newsom should have suspended it, as I called upon him to do months ago. 
Now he has no excuse. What is wrong with Gavin Newsom?” 

Mahan says the tax is “regressive” and needs to end.

“[The gas tax] is the most regressive tax in California — working people, rural people are spending three times as much maintaining our roads as wealthier EV owners,” he said.

Becerra said Californians shouldn’t have to give up their gas vehicles as the state aims to push consumers away from them and toward electric vehicles for good by 2035.

“California should transition from gas-powered vehicles when it makes sense — when infrastructure and affordability are there for California families,” Becerra wrote in response to a Politico survey.

Voters will go to the polls Tuesday for California’s June 2 open primary.

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