03/28/2024

Opinion: A clearer picture of the gas tax hike: Marc Steinorth

Sacramento politicians have said the gas tax will only set people back $10 a week. But, the largest gas tax in the history of California does more harm than Sacramento wants you to know.

When the establishment politicians present their talking points and statistics on the impact of the gas tax, Californians see a picture filtered to hide the ugly truth. The real costs for commuters include sacrifices to savings, food budgets and family activities. Real problems with real hardship.

Sure, for the fortunate few, they might have to miss a couple of coffees a week, but this reality only applies to the outliers in California. A tech worker in San Francisco won’t worry about a gas tax when their commute consists of a 20-minute walk or using their taxpayer-subsidized Tesla to make the drive into work. Opposition to a gas tax increase becomes rare when you can afford to live close to work or purchase a new, fuel efficient vehicle.

I, however, come from a community with a very different point of view. Before the vote on the gas tax increase, I spoke with dozens of people from my district to really understand how this would impact their daily lives. Juan Robles, husband and father, drives 200 miles a day selling rocks from a quarry. He’s not sure his company will be able to stay in California because of increased taxes. This doesn’t seem like just a $10 cost for Juan.

View Article