GOP governor candidate pitches simple fix to Gavin Newsom to lower gas prices — modeled after Australia

As Californians suffer from highest-in-the-nation gas prices, GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton has one easy fix — follow Australia.

Australia on Monday announced it will slash the fuel excise tax in half from April to June, which would save drivers nearly 13 dollars on a 17-gallon tank of fuel, reported Al-Jazeera. Now it’s on to California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Hilton told the Post.

“Any decent governor who cared about regular working people would have done this weeks ago,” Hilton said. “But Gavin Newsom is an out of touch elitist climate fanatic whose only interest is taking potshots at President Trump to push his pathetic book and presidential campaign.”

The war in Iran has put a chokehold on the global oil supply, pushing fuel prices up across the world. The Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply, remains closed.

California is particularly affected, with diesel prices reaching this week a statewide average of $7.45 — the highest ever recorded — while regular gasoline is nearing $6 at $5.88, according to the American Automobile Association.

The state’s gas prices are exacerbated by climate policies, higher-than-average taxes and a Democratic state government that is largely antagonistic toward the oil industry.

“That’s entirely due to Newsom and the Democrats: their gas tax gouging and their insane climate policies driving up the cost of oil,” Hilton said.

Republicans and some Democrats have supported the idea of suspending the state’s gas tax that could save drivers at least $1.08 per gallon. However, legislation to do that — lifting the state excise tax, state and logical taxes, the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and Cap-and-Trade compliance costs — was killed off quickly by the Democratic-controlled state legislature.

“We have an opportunity to help working families at a time when we have an affordability crisis. Democrats in Sacramento refused to help struggling Californians,” said state Rep. Tony Strickland (R).

Newsom can and should step in, Hilton told the Post, unless he doesn’t want to.

“Newsom probably likes the insanely high gas prices we have in California right now because he can try and blame them on the Iran War rather than his own stupid policies,” said Hilton, who has listed a goal of $3-per-gallon gas if elected governor.

Newsom’s office referred the California Post to past remarks he made, where the governor pointed out that a gas tax was suspended in Florida before.

“None of it was passed on. It was pocketed by Big Oil,” Newsom claimed.

“A lot of these things, the consequences, the unintended consequences are self-evident to anyone that’s been an expert in this,” he went on. He claimed the state’s gas tax leads to better roads, better jobs and better infrastructure.

Hilton said he wouldn’t wait to provide any type of relief to Californians.

“Weeks ago I called on Newsom to suspend the gas tax. As governor that’s what I would do,” he said.

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