SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KERO) — California lawmakers announced a $400 rebate proposal for every taxpayer in the state as gas prices rise. The funding for the rebate would pull $9 billion from the state's budget surplus.
The rebate would also go to taxpayers who don't own or drive a car.
Lawmakers announced the rebate is a better approach than suspending the gas tax. They said suspending that tax would hurt funding for transportation projects and offers no guarantee that oil companies would pass on the savings to customers.
Recently, California Republicans made a push for suspending the 51-cent per gallon gas tax in an effort to give relief to drivers. The vote failed to pass the Assembly floor Tuesday in a 40-to-18 vote.
Local assemblyman and vice-chair of the assembly budget committee Vince Fong (R-Kern County) issued a statement disagreeing with the gas rebate proposal and pushed for the gas tax suspension instead.
Sacramento Democrats now agree with Republicans that every day Californians are overtaxed and can’t afford to live in California.
The affordability crisis is crushing Californians above and beyond $400 and costs continue to grow with each passing day.
Let’s have a real public debate on reducing income tax rates on families and small businesses to give them permanent tax relief.
The multi-billion state budget surplus is the clearest evidence that Californians are overtaxed, and it doesn’t belong to Sacramento Democrats with their one-party rule.
Californians should keep more of their hard-earned money.
