San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan raised eyebrows by floating a tax on electric-vehicle owners duringTuesday night’s gubernatorial debate.
Mahan proposed the levy, along with a tax on high-income earners, whilepushing to suspend the state’s gas tax as fuel prices continue to surge.
“We need to reform this tax and make sure EV owners and higher-income owners are paying their fair share,” said Mahan, a moderate Democrat who’s gotten support from Silicon Valley.
It marks the first time he has publicly mentioned a charge on electric vehicles.
Mahan has been loudly advocating for a suspension of the gas tax — a point Republican candidate Steve Hilton noted during the debate that he has also supported.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Suspend the gas tax.#CAGovDebatepic.twitter.com/Xavpi1WB34
“I grew up in a farming town. I know what it means when the cost of gas goes up a dollar,” Mahan continued. “People start actually having to make really tough trade-offs. Can you pay the rent? Can you put food on the table?”
Currently, federal tax credits of up to $7,500 are available for the purchase of all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
In California, EV drivers are subject to a $121 annual road-improvement fee upon registering their vehicles to make up for lost gas taxes.
On his campaign website, Mahan outlines a tax policy section titled “Working Families Deserve Relief — Right Now.”
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
