A group of California State Assembly members is proposing a $400 gas tax rebate for every California taxpayer.
The money, totaling $9 billion, would come out of the state's budget surplus.
Lawmakers say the rebate would more than cover the 51.1 cent per gallon gas tax for a year of weekly fill-ups for a car with a 15-gallon gas tank.
Under the proposal, every Californian who files taxes would receive the rebate even if they don't own or drive a car. Lawmakers say that's because all Californians have seen an increase in living expenses and distributing the rebate to every tax filer is the most efficient way to get money out quickly.
They believe a rebate is a better approach than suspending the gas tax because of the impact that would have on funding for transportation projects.
"Our goal is to get it done this spring, and we're going to be pushing really, really hard to make that happen," said Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris, (D) Orange County. "The governor, as you know, mentioned a gas rebate approach in his State of the State address last week, and we're really looking forward to seeing the details of that, comparing that with this proposal, and forging a solution that we can act on really quickly."
The gas rebate proposal will need to go through several committees and votes before it is approved.
