Exclusive | California drivers fume as gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra opens door to mileage tax: Youre taxing the poor

Struggling Californians are pushing back against the prospect of another hit to their wallets after Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra opened the door to taxing motorists for every mile they drive.“Everything should be on the table,” Becerra told KCRA’s Ashley Zavala when asked whether he would support a mileage-based tax as governor.“Our roads aren’t maintained just by some magic wand.We have to pay for it,” he said.

“Do I want to tax people more than necessary? No.Should we pay a gas tax? Yes.

Should people who drive electric vehicles, who don’t need gas, pay for those roads to be repaired as well? Absolutely.”The former California attorney general and Biden administration Health and Human Services secretary is running to replace Gov.Gavin Newsom, with his comments coming as state officials wrap up a study on whether to replace the traditional gas tax with a fee based on miles driven.The prospect of another charge is rattling Californians already struggling with the state’s soaring cost of living, particularly workers who depend on their vehicles to make a living.Los Angeles trucker Kenyatta Cole, 62, whose family has spent three generations in the trucking business, questioned why drivers should pay more when they’re already struggling to cover existing taxes and operating costs.“We already pay highway use tax in order to use the roads here in California,” Cole told The California Post Thursday.“You’re taxing the poor.

When is it gonna stop?”Cole said mounting fuel, insurance and operating costs are eating away at his livelihood, leaving little money to support his family.“We’re putting in 12 hours,” he said of his workdays.“It’s just to stay afloat.”The Post first spoke with Cole in June, when soaring diesel prices were hammering independent trucking operators across California.At the time, Cole revealed that his three trucks burned through more than $16,000 in diesel in a single month, while insurance...