California Gas Tax Will Make Gas Prices Highest in the Nation

California’s gas tax will make gas prices the highest in the nation once the tax kicks in on July 1.

The tax will add on 5.6 cents per gallon of gas, the second time the state has instituted a gas tax increase since state leaders agreed two years ago to raise taxes to fund infrastructure repairs, KTLA reported.

The first 12-cent increase took place in November 2017 after lawmakers approved the bill that would allocate $5.4 billion in transportation funding over the next year.

But officials say the money allocated to transportation funding is not enough, saying that $130 billion is needed to fix the state’s infrastructure.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the gas tax bill instituted in 2017 would leave a budget shortfall of $78 billion if some lawmakers got their way.

Although California’s gas prices are still the highest in the nation, drivers on the east coast could see some gas price hikes as well.

CNBC reported Friday that the mid-Atlantic region could expect gas price jumps of up to five cents a gallon after a Philadelphia area refining complex exploded.

The refinery is one of the east coast’s largest and affects 27 percent of the area’s gasoline production.