Higher gas tax won’t fix state roads

Raising California’s gasoline tax to 12 cents per gallon won’t raise enough money to fix the state’s damaged roads, a report released Monday stated.

While California does have some of the worse roads in the nation, money for repairs – which usually come from motor fuel taxes – is declining as cars become more fuel efficient and electric vehicles become more popular, according to Beyond the Gas Tax: Funding California Transportation in the 21st Century.

That report, compiled by Beacon Economics in Los Angeles and the non-profit, nonpartisan organization Next 10, was a response to the passage of SB 1 by the state legislature earlier this month.

That bill is expected to raise $52.4 billion during the next 10 years for road repair and other transportation projects. But that figure will fall well short of the $137 billion deferred maintenance deficit that California now faces, the report stated.