Xavier Becerra reopened the California Mileage Tax debate in the governor's race after saying in a recent interview that “Everything should be on the table” when asked whether he would consider a vehicle-miles-traveled tax. The remark put a once-familiar policy back at the center of the campaign, just days before Election Day.
The issue matters now because this is not an abstract budget fight. Republican critics say the idea would land directly on drivers, with some previously studied plans described as charging between 6 and 9 cents per mile, or about $1,000 a year for the average driver. Becerra also said, “Our roads aren’t paid for by some magic wand; we have to pay for it. Do I want to tax people more than necessary? No,” a line that captured the trade-off at the heart of the debate.
The mileage tax itself is not new. Lori Wilson said AB 1421 is a continuation of a study bill enacted in 2014, and the broader argument has followed California for years as lawmakers look for ways to replace gas tax revenue while electric vehicles become more common. Wilson has endorsed Becerra for governor, placing the proposal inside the race rather than outside it.
That is where the friction begins. After Becerra said everything should be on the table, his campaign said he has not proposed a mileage tax. The campaign said working families already pay their share every day, and that the billionaires Steve Hilton wants to protect will pay their fair share too. Hilton, who strongly opposes the idea, said, “By the way, this is on top of the highest gas tax in the country, on top of the highest car or truck registration fees in the country, it just never ends,” while adding that “93 percent of the cars and trucks on our roads run on gas and diesel, so it’s just not correct to say that this is some problem, mileage tax solution right now.”
The next question is not whether the idea can survive a campaign talking point. It is whether Becerra would treat a mileage charge as a serious governing option if he wins, or leave it in the category of ideas that stay on the table and never make it off.
Kate Gordon said there are also ideas for additional taxes for heavier vehicles, and argued that roads suffer more wear when vehicles are heavier because heavy-duty trucks create most of the damage. She said, “The bottom line is we are going to have to find ways to pay for that infrastructure, and they will include being more creative and opening new avenues,” underscoring why the California Mileage Tax keeps returning whenever road funding comes up.
