California is moving closer to charging drivers for every mile they drive, state says it needs more money for road repairs, and the gas tax isn’t bringing in enough. The state road-tested a mileage monitoring plan.

The California Road Charge Pilot Program is billed as a way for the state to move from its longstanding pump tax to a system where drivers pay based on their mileage. They now say that when it comes to road taxes, it’s time to start looking at charging you by the mile rather than by the gallon.

If you own a vehicle that is fueled by gas, you’re paying gas tax to maintain the roads already. Someone who has an electric vehicle or a dramatically more fuel efficient vehicle is paying much less than those who dont, but still use the roads. People are going to use less and less gas in the long run if they buy fuel efficient vehicles, and less gas means less gas tax, and less money for road repair.

The state wants to make sure that all cars are paying to maintain the roads. One idea would be installing devices that would clock your mileage every time you pull up to the pump or electric car charging station, or put a tracker on every car. The reality is that if you have a smartphone your data of where you are traveling is already in existence.

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