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April 12, 2017

New California Plan Punishes Gas-Powered Cars More Than EVs

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Last week. Gov. Jerry Brown (D-CA) and the Democrat-led California legislature worked together to pass a $52 billion increase in gas taxes and fees on California drivers.

One aspect of the package that has yet to receive much attention, save a recent report from The Daily Caller, is the fact that the new plan punishes owners of gas-powered cars far more than electric vehicle (EV) owners.

The Daily Caller‘s Chris White reported last week that California’s gas tax burden will rise to $0.52 per gallon under the new plan. Taking recent numbers on the average miles traveled per person in California and the average fuel efficiency per American car, the average Californian will pay roughly $205 in gas taxes per year under the new plan.

Compare that to the fee placed on EV owners: $100 per year.

What does this translate to? California punishes owners of gas-powered cars with about twice the taxes and fees per year that EV owners are forced to pay. That calculation doesn’t even count the fact that EV owners benefit from thousands of dollars in subsidies and tax credits.

One thing is clear with California’s new transportation plan: it continues to subsidize and support EV owners, at the expense of the vast majority of drivers who own gas-powered cars.