California drivers could finally face a new variety of street tax that costs them for every mile behind the wheel — and they may not want to have their location tracked to pay up.

The proposal got contemporary consideration this week after gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra refused to rule out a mileage tax, saying “everything was on the table” during an interview.

Becerra’s marketing campaign later clarified that he had not really proposed the tax, but his feedback raised a large query for tens of millions of California motorists: How would Sacramento know how far they’re driving — and would the state be monitoring their every transfer?

California drivers could finally face a new variety of street tax that costs them for every mile behind the wheel — and they may not want to have their location tracked to pay up. Zenstratus – inventory.adobe.com

The proposal got contemporary consideration this week after gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra refused to rule out a mileage tax, saying “everything was on the table” during an interview. AP Photo/Akash Pamarthy

A six-month California pilot program provides a glimpse of how it could work, including choices ranging from GPS-equipped monitoring gadgets to something as easy as snapping a image of a automotive’s odometer.

The experiment, performed by Caltrans from August 2024 through January 2025, enrolled 800 contributors who examined 4 other ways of reporting their mileage.

Drivers could plug a GPS-enabled machine into their automobiles, use a machine with out GPS, enable their automotive’s built-in know-how to transmit mileage information or merely add pictures of their odometers.

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Location sharing was non-obligatory, that means drivers could take part with out handing over a file of where they traveled.

About 34% of contributors selected GPS-equipped gadgets, while 30% opted to submit odometer pictures. The remaining drivers used onboard automobile know-how or gadgets with out GPS.

The pilot also examined what drivers might really pay.

Location sharing was non-obligatory, that means drivers could take part with out handing over a file of where they traveled. Aaron – inventory.adobe.com

Half of the contributors were charged a flat price of 2.8 cents per mile, that means someone driving 10,000 miles would owe $280 before credit. The other half confronted individualized charges primarily based on their automobiles’ federally rated gasoline effectivity.

Drivers acquired month-to-month payments but were credited or refunded for state fuel taxes or the electric-vehicle Road Improvement Fee they had already paid during the experiment. 

The experiment grew out of Senate Bill 339, authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2021. The laws directed California to take a look at methods of gathering street costs primarily based on precise mileage as conventional gas-tax income declines.

But the chance of another invoice hitting drivers’ wallets has already sparked a political struggle.

Republican gubernatorial rival Steve Hilton has pledged to veto a mileage tax if elected.

“They never stop gouging you,” Hilton advised The California Post.

But the chance of another invoice hitting drivers’ wallets has already sparked a political struggle. Songwut Pinyo – inventory.adobe.com

Assembly Republican chief Alexandra Macedo also blasted the concept, arguing it would disproportionately damage working Californians.

“They say they want to tax billionaires and then they’re talking about a mileage tax that hits the working class the hardest,” she advised The Post.

For now, no statewide mileage tax has been permitted.