Republicans in the California State Legislature want to place a moratorium on the state's gasoline tax to help give motorists a partial break from record-setting prices at the pump.
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However, Democrats are divided on the issue — and so are Bay Area drivers.
"I certainly think they should consider (the proposal), though for me personally (the tax) wouldn't be a big deal. But also they use that gas tax to repair the highways so the state certainly needs the highway," Garth Salzburg, who was filling up his car at a Mill Valley gas station on Sunday, said.
Each time Californians fill up their tank they pay 51 cents per gallon in state tax, the highest rate in America.
A proposal from Gov. Gavin Newsom in February would set aside the gas tax for six months, however some leaders in the Democratic controlled Assembly argued against the legislation because that tax revenue is used for transportation infrastructure such as roadway improvements.
The tax is slated to increase even more in July and, if eliminated, it would cost the state an estimated $523 million in revenue, according to the Associated Press.
"It's ridiculous. In California you’re a dollar less as soon as you leave the state," Tommy Thompson, who recently returned to the region after driving from Texas, said. "That should be changed."
Last week, San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to surpass an average of $5 per gallon for gas, while the Bay Area averaged more than $5 a gallon for gas for the first time ever.
"With things heating up in Ukraine, I would almost rather pay more gas so that there’s some release for those folks," Thea, who was filling up her Prius in Mill Valley, argued.
The legislature will be debating the idea in committees later this month.
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