Opinion: Sacramento tries to turn another ‘temporary’ fee into a permanent one
There’s no such thing as a temporary tax, at least not in California. That’s the only conclusion that can be drawn from Assembly Bill 241, the latest attempt to renew a “temporary” increase in vehicle registration fees.
This temporary tax began its existence about 15 years ago with the passage of Assembly Bill 118, titled the California Alternative and Renewable Fuels, Vehicle Technology, Clean Air and Carbon Reduction Act of 2007. The law raised the “smog abatement fee” from $12 to $20 and directed the money into two new accounts in the state treasury, the “Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Fund” and the “Air Quality Improvement Fund.
The tax in AB 118 was set to expire in 2016, but state lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 8 in 2013 and extended the tax increase until 2024. They also quietly removed a provision that imposed some accountability for the spending by requiring the California Energy Commission and the Air Resources Board to “assess alternative fuel use” to see how the program was progressing. No assessment necessary, the Legislature seemed to say, we just want the money.
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