California's Gas Tax Emits Political Hot Air

California tries diligently to be an environmental leader. From spending billions of dollars building a high-speed rail system to nowhere to forking over tens of millions each year on urban forestry—code for planting trees in cities—the state has not shied away from spending big on green goals.

So you would think California would applaud the state's 200,000 residents who drive zero emission vehicles (ZEV). And yet, while California may applaud these civic-minded motorists, their reward is ... higher taxes.

Drivers in California already pay some of the highest gas taxes in the country for some of the worst roads. Indeed, when the various levies and fees are added up, motorists in the Golden State pay nearly a dollar in taxes for every gallon of gas they buy. But according to Gov. Jerry Brown, this still isn't enough to keep the roads near their current ranking of forty-fourth in the nation.

Now, those who drive ZEVs don't use gas, and so don't pay gas taxes. The governor's office has decided to do something about that: The idea is to tax people who drive zero emission vehicles to fix the roads—after giving them a tax funded rebate to buy the car in the first place.

This is not exactly Economics 101.