The California Assembly voted in favor of a bill authorizing a study to determine whether a new mileage tax can be levied on drivers, with the funds used to repair roads and pay for other transportation costs in the state.

Republicans in Sacramento, who opposed the measure, are not in favor of this study, arguing that California already has some of the highest gas prices and an excessive tax on fuel purchases. fuel.

“We know what the real intention is: a comprehensive mileage tax,” said San Diego Republican Assemblyman Carl DeMaio during the bill debate last week.

It is not known whether this new mileage tax would replace the state gas tax; what is certain is that it is being planned at a time when some Californians are transitioning from gasoline-powered cars to electric vehicles; and that funds obtained from the gas tax have failed.

Suisun City Democratic Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, author of the measure, stated that it aims to help the legislature make an informed decision as the state moves forward with its efforts to phase out oil and gas use in the coming decades.

The bill was also brought up because the state is collecting less money from gas taxes and is looking for new ways to obtain funding.

Wilson said that several public meetings will be held at the local and state levels to hear from all voices—drivers, workers, and businesses—to ensure everyone pays their fair share.

And if a mileage charge is implemented, efforts will be made to avoid double taxation for drivers.

Regarding the Democrats' bill to study the possibility of establishing a new mileage tax for cars, it is unclear whether it would be in addition to the existing gas tax. It's already being paid for; the Republicans presented a counterproposal, which was not approved.

ACA 12 sought to establish clear protections for taxpayers in the California Constitution before any per-mile tax could be implemented.

These protections aimed to prevent a per-mile tax from being added to the gas tax and required that any per-mile charge be fair and uniform.

“First,they want to tax gas and ban combustion engines to force Californian drivers to use electric vehicles; then they realize that means less gas tax revenue, so they propose a per-mile tax to make up the difference,” said Republican Assemblyman Heath Flora of San Joaquin.

“This is the last thing we should be thinking about: clever ways to tax Californians, who already pay some of the highest taxes in the country, in addition to having the highest cost of living.”

In an interview with ABC10, Wilson said that the The study must be submitted before January 1, 2027, so the legislature can decide on the next steps and its possible implementation. According to legislative analyst Chris Micheli, a vehicle would pay according to the distance traveled, similar to highway or bridge tolls, whose cost usually depends on the length of the trip. Regarding the requested study, Micheli said that the intention is to determine if it would work as a long-term substitute for a gas tax and how it would actually be implemented to address concerns about data privacy and mile-by-mile tracking. light trucks registered in California; electric vehicles represent among 3.5% and 5% of the total on the road. This is despite the fact that 25.1% of all new cars sold in 2024 were zero-emission, according to the California Energy Commission. This figure is similar to that of late 2025 and early 2026.