Gas Tax Moratorium - Letter of Support

Dear Governor Newsom: 

On behalf of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, I am writing to request an immediate and indefinite moratorium on the California gasoline-excise tax (gas tax). At a time when California is experiencing billion-dollar budget surpluses year after year, the state has the opportunity to provide hard-working citizens a significant financial reprieve as they grapple with a forty-year high inflation rate. 

As of the day of this letter, Californians are paying $5.76 per gallon of gas, $1.65 more per gallon than the national average of $4.11, 51.1 cents of which constitute the gas tax. High gas prices disproportionately and negatively impact low income, rural communities such as those in Tulare County. With long commutes to city centers and rural worksites, and a per capita income of just $22,092, every penny counts when making ends meet here in the Central San Joaquin Valley. 

A moratorium on the gas tax would have a positive ripple effect throughout the economy. Reducing the cost of gas lowers the cost of transporting everyday goods for sellers and distributors. This, in turn, reduces the cost of goods to consumers at the time of purchase. A moratorium on the gas tax is not just a break for motorists at the pump, it's a break for every Californian, at every cash register, across the state. 
For these reasons, we respectfully request that the administration issue an immediate and indefinite moratorium on the gas tax. California's hard-working families deserve some measure of financial relief during these uncertain and trying economic times. 

Sincerely, 

Larry Micari, District One Supervisor

Pete Vander Poel, District Two Supervisor

Amy Shuklian, District Three Supervisor

Eddie Valero, Chair

Dennis Townsend, Vice-Chair