CALIFORNIA—A gas hike approved by the California state legislature and Governor Jerry Brown went into effect on Wednesday, November 1.
The increase adds an extra 12 cents per gallon of regular and premium gasoline for all motorists. The diesel fuel excise tax increased by 20 cents. The sales tax on diesel also rose from 9 percent to 13 percent. There has not been a gas tax increase in California since 1994.
The money will contribute to a CalTrans fund allotted for roadway improvements throughout the state. The tax increase is expected to generate up to $52 billion in revenue over the next 10 years.
Gas stations also switched from their summer blends designed to reduce smog to cheaper (but less environmentally friendly) winter mixtures on Wednesday. This switch will likely help offset the gas tax hike somewhat. The gas tax increase legislature has led to backlash from conservatives who opposed the hike on the grounds that it would unfairly burden middle and working-class residents.
“[The increase] adds up to a huge cost for those families, and it makes it very expensive for them to get to work. It disproportionately affects them too since they tend to have older cars, as well as longer commutes,” said a former president of the University of California Irvine College Republicans to Canyon News. “The Newport Beach conservative ‘elite’ will be fine, but single parents who need to commute for an hour to support their kids? They’re screwed.”
