California's Gas Tax Crosses 50-Cent Per Gallon Mark
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – California's gas tax increased Wednesday by 3.2 cents per gallon.
The tax hike, which took effect on the first day of the new fiscal year, July 1, now brings California's gas tax to 50.5 cents per gallon. The increase is based on the state's inflation index.
The hike is part of Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair & Accountability Act, which the California Legislature passed in April of 2017 and includes increases in gas taxes and vehicle registration fees.
The bill is designed to raise over $5 billion per year for road repairs and infrastructure improvements.
When it took affect in November of 2017, it increased the gas tax by 12 cents. It then went up another 5.6 cents in July of 2019, to 47.3 cents per gallon.
It increases annually based on the California Consumer Price Index.
California's gas prices have been consistently higher compared to the rest of the nation. Last October, Gov. Gavin Newsom asked the attorney general to investigate why.