As Yogi Berra famously said, “It’s déjà vu all over again.” Yes, Sacramento Democrats are at it again. There is yet another tax coming. And it’s not as if Californians are under-taxed or refusing to pay “their fair share” as liberals like to complain. As everyone knows, we are already the highest-taxed citizens in the nation but with the least to show for it.
On Jan. 29, the California State Assembly passed (with all 21 Republicans voting “No”) Assembly Bill 1421, a Democrat-sponsored bill that would, if passed by the Senate, continue a study to add a mileage tracker to our cars with the express purpose of charging California drivers, by the mile, for — guess what — the privilege of driving. The new tax, if approved, would be known as a “road usage charge,” and it would be in addition to the gas tax, the vehicle purchase and resale tax, and the annual vehicle registration fee. The tax would be between $0.06 and $0.09 per mile (keep in mind that the typical Californian drives an average of 12,000 to 15,000 miles per year), which equates to between $720 and $1,350 per car, per year in new taxes. And, by the way, the money would not be designated for road construction or repairs; rather, unless the bill is amended, the money will go to the general fund.
You can’t make this stuff up!
Of course, we all know how much Sacramento Democrats need more revenue and how responsibly they use and account for our tax money. I worked for over 20 years as a budget analyst for a major local government, and I can tell you from firsthand experience, the last thing local and state governments need is more money (fiscal discipline, transparency, ethics, the courage to prioritize spending, and a determination to avoid graft and corruption, maybe, but not more tax money). In fact, there was a long-running joke among my fellow budget analysts that the last thing you give a politician — especially a Democrat politician — is access to money or power.
Keep in mind that this new mileage tax study, and the resulting tax, are not intended to be submitted to the voters for their approval. In fact, a Republican proposal to bring this measure to the voters for approval was rejected by the Democrats. Also know that our own Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo was conveniently absent from the vote in favor of continuing this new tax study. And if Democrats do not intend to tax us for driving our cars, why propose such a study?
At any rate, unless you call your friends and family who live in a California Senate district represented by Democrats and ask them to contact their representative to urge him or her to vote against AB 1421 or go to Assemblyman Carl DeMaio’s website and look for his “Stop the Mileage Tax” plan, you are likely going to pay even more for the luxury of driving to such exotic locales as your office, the grocery store and the doctor’s office.
William Creitz
Valencia
