It feels like just about everywhere you turn, politicians are inventing new ways to yank more money out of your wallet. There are property taxes, gas taxes, grocery taxes, and more. We’ve even seen cities and towns push their own tax, utility rate, and “fee” increases. (How are those water bills treating you, Gilbert?) And now, some states—like California and Massachusetts—are pursuing a tax that would charge you a fee for every single mile you travel in your vehicle.
So much for affordability.
Earlier this month, California’s legislature advanced AB 1421. If passed and signed by Governor Newsom, this bill would create a “road user charge” pay-per-mile system for our neighbors to the west. It also includes studying how to capture out-of-state vehicles as well in case you thought your trip to Disneyland couldn’t get any more expensive.
If you don’t think such a tax is possible, think again. Tracking, limiting, and taxing our vehicle miles traveled (VMT) has been a dream scenario for those pushing a radical environmental agenda for years. Tucked into the Inflation Reduction Act passed by the Biden administration was a pilot program for a VMT tax.
San Diego also explored something similar, proposing a plan in 2021 that would have charged motorists 4 cents per mile to pay for expanded bus service and rail in the region. Liberal politicians gushed over the proposal and even liked the idea of charging extra to high income households or on large vehicles they deemed to be not “eco-friendly.” But the plan was eventually stopped thanks to resounding opposition from citizens.
Then, last year, Massachusetts pushed for their own VMT tax—all in an effort to “encourage people to drive less” in order to meet net zero emissions by 2050.
Attempts to track, restrict and tax our vehicle miles traveled has become a realistic threat, which is why voters here in Arizona need to block this crazy mileage tax before politicians and bureaucrats try to pass it here.
That’s why in 2025, Arizona lawmakers took a huge first step to protect motorists from a California-style VMT by passing the Freedom to Move Act. This proposed ballot measure will give Arizonans the opportunity to ban any VMT tax/fee and ban any rule to monitor or limit your miles without your consent. If passed in November, our state will be the FIRST in the nation to prohibit the government from taxing, tracking, or limiting our vehicle miles traveled.
VMT taxes are a real threat right now. They hit rural families and long-distance workers the hardest. They create a data and tracking system to bill you for your driving—which is a direct threat to your privacy. They punish you for any form of driving you need or want to do. And they take even more money out of your wallet at a time when affordability is a significant issue throughout our state and country.
It’s time for Arizona voters to ban this outrageous tax on hardworking families in our state. Otherwise, California’s Orwellian tax-per-mile/privacy nightmare will creep in here.
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