Democrats back mileage tax study, punishing own voters

California Democrats are looking at taxing drivers per mile driven, regardless of whether they drive a gas-powered car or an electric vehicle (EV).

Last week, the State Assembly voted to pass AB 1421, with over 40 Democrats backing a commission to study the “mileage tax.” The bill now goes to the Senate, where it is likely to face easy passage on a party-line vote.

Raising a new tax is apparently much easier than cutting spending, when faced with an $18 billion deficit. And it’s just the latest blow to “affordability” in the Golden State.

Ironically, a mileage tax would punish “green” Californians who bought EVs because Democrats told them to do so.

For years, Gavin Newsom and his party told drivers that EVs were an important way to fight climate change.

In 2020, the governor even called moving to EVs “the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change.” 

His office claimed that “the cost of owning the car – both in maintenance and how much it costs to power the car mile for mile – is far less than a fossil fuel burning vehicle.”

One reason EVs were more affordable than the alternative was the ability to avoid the state’s massive gas taxes. At 71 cents per gallon, California has the highest combined state and federal gas tax in the country. 

Over a year of driving, that’s thousands of dollars in savings — or, at least, it was.

If the mileage tax goes through, drivers will have to fork over thousands of dollars per year just for the privilege of driving on California’s poorly-maintained roads.

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And it’s not as if there are good transportation alternatives. Despite the billions that California has spent on high-speed rail, the state’s low-speed rail networks are barely functional.

Lines between Los Angeles and San Diego are frequently offline due to rockslides. And the Amtrak Capitol Corridor, which connects Sacramento to the Bay Area, only just came back into service.

The mileage tax is totally unnecessary. The state has money; it just spends roughly twice as much as it did ten years ago.

Democrats will do anything except cut spending. That includes taxing their own “green” voters.