California To Hike Gas Tax Despite Record High Prices At Pump
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is set to raise the state's gasoline tax despite record-high prices at the pump and sinking poll numbers of President Biden ahead of the midterm elections.
Newsom's office said earlier this week that California lawmakers are unlikely to stop the annual summer increase in the state's gasoline tax ahead of a May 1 deadline. This means California motorists will be hit with a 5.6% gas tax hike scheduled to take effect on July 1.
"But lawmakers will almost certainly fail to stop the gas tax increase from taking place because they would need to pass legislation by Sunday in order to do so – and have yet to introduce a bill on the matter," Fox News said.
Newsom's spokesperson Alex Stack said the governor could offer gas relief to Californians via direct payments (stimulus checks).
"It is clear now that the Legislature will not act in time to provide that immediate, limited relief, but we look forward to working with lawmakers on the Governor's proposal for direct payments to Californians wrestling with rising prices," Stack said.
California leads the nation with the highest gas tax at 51 cents per gallon. The gas tax after July 1 will stand at 53.9 cents per gallon, an increase of 3 cents.
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