SACRAMENTO – Senator Brian W. Jones (R-Santee) and many of his Republican colleagues called for the suspension of the excise tax on gasoline purchases in California.
“Gasoline prices in California are fast approaching $5 per gallon while the state is sitting on budget surplus of $76 billion,” said Senator Brian W. Jones. “The state gasoline excise tax is currently scheduled to increase to over 50 cents per gallon on July 1st. Rather than allowing Governor Newsom to run around the state handing out millions of dollars in free lottery tickets and other chum, we should instead use the budget surplus to reduce the obscene excise tax on gasoline purchases.”
Jones, and other members of the Senate Republican Caucus recently sent a letter to Democrat Governor Newsom, Senate President pro-Tempore Toni Atkins (D – San Diego), Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D – Lakewood), Senate Budget Committee Chair Nancy Skinner (D – Berkeley), and Assembly Budget Committee Chair Philip Ting (D- San Francisco), requesting a one year suspension of the excise tax. This suspension would immediately lower the price of gasoline by over 50 cents per gallon.
“Governor Newsom and other Democrat leaders are chauffeured around in state vehicles and don’t have to worry about the sky-rocketing cost of gasoline in California,” continued Jones. “Many Californians lost their jobs and businesses during the state-ordered COVID shutdown. The least the state can do is take some of the bloated budget surplus and help lower the cost of gasoline Californians pay.”
