Posted on 02/01/2026 6:17:47 AM PST by Libloather
California drivers and Republican legislators are furious over a Democrat-led proposal that could see motorists taxed for each mile they drive.
With the state staring down a budget deficit in the billions and more Californians switching to electric vehicles, Democratic lawmakers are searching for new ways to shore up declining gas tax revenue.
Californians pay the second-highest gas price in the nation behind only Hawaii. In January, the average price was $4.23 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association.
On Thursday, state legislators advanced Democrat Lori Wilson’s bill, AB 1421, which would direct the California Transportation Commission and the state Transportation Agency to continue studying options for a mileage-based tax, rather than implementing one.
Opponents of the proposal were out in force Saturday, with activists gathering at Cal Expo in Sacramento to collect signatures opposing a raft of new Democratic tax measures, including a potential mileage charge.
“I just got very tense and insecure, because I drive a lot of miles,” said Sherrie Ann Lorenzo, a Chico resident. “I don’t want to be taxed for driving. It’s my freedom. I live in the home of the free, I thought.”
Under concepts outlined in the study, the tax could range from two to nine cents per mile. With California drivers logging roughly 11,400 miles a year on average, a mileage charge could cost motorists between $228 and $1,026 annually.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
How would they tax out of staters?
Proposals to tax cars per mile are being considered in various states, with the aim of stabilizing transportation funding as fuel-tax revenue declines. Here are some key points regarding these proposals:
California’s AB 1421: This bill aims to study and pilot per-mile charges, with critics warning it could layer a mileage tax on top of existing gas taxes.
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Oregon’s OReGO Program: A voluntary per-mile fee program that charges volunteer participants a fee with fuel-tax credits and experiments with different data-collection methods.
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Washington, Michigan, and others: These states have looked at opt-in pilots and hybrid approaches that allow EV drivers to choose mileage billing instead of flat registration fees.
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Illinois: State lawmakers are considering a vehicle miles traveled tax to raise more money from motorists, with a focus on tracking a driver’s movement or sending a photo of the odometer.
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These proposals are part of a broader effort to find sustainable funding solutions for road maintenance as the transportation landscape evolves.
And the net says.........................they haven’t got that far yet.
California - a beautiful failing hellhole state...
Yeah. I wonder how that’s working over in the uk. Compliant public likely.
Add in a multiplier for number of passengers.
“I live in the home of the free, I thought.”
Nope, you live in California....probably illegally.
California has the opposite problem. They use fuel taxes for general budget items.
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Dilemma? What dilemma?
Nobody says you can’t own a car. Nobody says you can’t drive a car. All they are saying is that you can’t drive a car on public roads without being taxed for it. It worked in Tombstone.
wy69
Require everyone to drive vehicles with big block gas V8 engines. That will take care of fuel tax revenues.
Solution- drive to the poll and unelect them.
Will they ban work from home in order to get more revenue by forcing people to have to drive to work?
In California at least, it won’t be too long before you have to be fairly wealthy to drive a car. Between mileage taxes, gas taxes, registration, and having to afford an electric vehicle, a huge percentage of the public in California won’t be able to drive. And that will eventually start to move to other states.
Good post.
What is most frightening of all is that under future Democrat control the tax rate can be changed in a nanosecond—with no warning—based on the whims of future bureaucrats.
It could get so ridiculous that a pop up screen could appear in your car with the statement “do you support saving the Unicorns?”
If you say “yes” your tax rate goes down by 5%.
If you say “no” your tax rate goes up by 10%.
Then they tell you the save the Unicorn rally locations throughout the state the following week and that your attendance is mandatory. If you fail to attend that changes your status to “no”.
Or at least, whoever counts the votes thinks so.
And bigger helicopters
She’s a Democrat.
Anyone with an IQ over 100 knows that we do not live in America, we live in California. Which is about 10 rungs up the ladder better then North Korea.
And if a robber takes your wallet, then he shouldn’t take your watch as well. I don’t think our rulers here in CA will find your argument persuasive
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