California’s gas taxes will rise on July 1, and new “low carbon” fuel standards will take effect, pushing gas prices up by as much as 65 cents per gallon or more, forcing drivers to pay an estimated $6 per gallon.
San Diego’s local CBS affiliate, KFMB-TV, reported on Tuesday:
California drivers are bracing for a substantial increase in gas prices starting July 1, as multiple new taxes and regulations take effect. Experts are divided on just how high prices will climb, but some estimates suggest they could reach up to $6 per gallon.
The first factor contributing to the price hike is an increase in the state’s excise tax, which will rise by 1.6 cents per gallon. However, this is just the beginning of the cost increases.
A more significant impact is expected from the Low Carbon Fuel Standard program, approved by the state’s air resources board in November. This program aims to reduce California’s greenhouse gas emissions, but will result in stricter regulations on gas producers.
Warnings have been circulating for weeks that gas prices could rise even higher in the state — perhaps as high as $9 per gallon. High taxes and fuel standards already make California’s gas the most expensive in the U.S., and new taxes passed by the Democrat-controlled legislature and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom mean there is no end in sight.
One reason for the enthusiasm on the left for gas taxes is a desire to drive consumers into the electric vehicle (EV) market. California has banned the sale of new gas-powered vehicles, effective 2035. Yet drivers have been slow to buy EVs, and Newsom’s plan may be sunk by sagging demand.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of Trump 2.0: The Most Dramatic ‘First 100 Days’ in Presidential History, available for Amazon Kindle. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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