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The problem is simple and entirely predictable.
Electric vehicles do not pay gas taxes.
Gas taxes currently fund about 80 percent of California’s road maintenance budget. At roughly 61 cents per gallon, that tax has long been a steady revenue stream for the state. With more than 1.26 million electric vehicles already registered, that revenue is drying up fast.
Transportation officials now admit they are facing a $4.4 billion shortfall over the next decade.
Instead of cutting waste, trimming bloated programs, or admitting their policies were flawed, Democrats have reached for the only solution they ever seem to consider.
Another tax.
A Mileage Tax That Punishes Work and Travel
California officials are now floating a per mile driving tax that could charge drivers up to 4 cents for every mile they travel.
That may sound small until you do the math.
A daily commuter traveling between Hanford and Fresno would rack up about $11 per week. Over a year, that adds up to roughly $572 just to get to work.
And that is on top of existing vehicle registration fees, sales taxes, insurance costs, and other state imposed charges.
This is not about fairness. It is about revenue.
Democrats sold electric vehicles as a way to escape rising gas prices and heavy taxation. Now those same drivers are being told they will pay anyway.
A Surveillance System Disguised as a Tax
The cost is only part of the story. The method California plans to use should alarm every driver.
One option under consideration involves plugging a tracking device into vehicles that records mileage and can use GPS technology. Other options include using built in vehicle tracking systems or reporting odometer readings.
State officials insist privacy will be protected.
But every option requires drivers to register, verify identity, and transmit driving data to the state. Each vehicle would be tied to a personal account containing sensitive information.
Officials claim location data will not be stored. But the technology itself has the capability to track far more than mileage. The protection relies on promises and procedures, not on any technical limitation.
Once the system exists, the temptation to expand it will be overwhelming.
And history suggests it will not stop with electric vehicles.
Rural Families Would Take the Hardest Hit
Even supporters of the concept admit the burden will fall unevenly.
David Kline from the California Taxpayers Association acknowledged that while roads must be funded, the mileage tax “could end up switching the burden to different people.”
Those people are rural families.
Longer commutes are unavoidable in many parts of California. Rural drivers already pay more under the gas tax system because they travel greater distances and often drive older, less fuel efficient vehicles.
The mileage tax preserves that imbalance while adding a new layer of government oversight.
Carl DeMaio of Reform California estimates that when the mileage tax is stacked on top of existing taxes and fees, a two vehicle household could pay more than $3,000 per year just for the privilege of driving.
DeMaio called it exactly what it is. “A mileage tax in California is a money grab, let’s just be very clear.”
The Pattern Is Always the Same
This is the California playbook.
Create a mandate. Ignore the consequences. Then tax the public to clean up the mess.
The gas tax was supposed to fade away as electric vehicles replaced gas powered cars. Instead, the state wants both. Gas taxes for those who cannot afford electric vehicles, and mileage taxes for those who bought them.
Assembly Member DeMaio estimates average Californians could be hit with $900 to $1,200 per year under the proposal, with working families suffering the most.
Caltrans has already completed a pilot program testing mileage fees and is preparing recommendations for statewide rollout, despite calling it a test.
Other states are watching closely. Hawaii has already implemented a mandatory per mile charge for electric vehicle drivers.
California promised a cleaner future. What it is delivering instead is higher costs, more surveillance, and fewer choices.
The state that demanded you buy electric cars now wants to tax you for every mile you drive them.
And knowing California, they probably will not stop there.
