Locals Weigh In On Proposed $400 Gas Rebate

"Whenever I get it for under $6, it’s almost like a bargain," said Indio local Robert Knerr. California’s gas prices are rising, and so is the need for relief. According to AAA, the state’s average price of gas as of this afternoon was $5.80, while the national average hangs around $4.30. And after a vote on suspending California’s 51-cent gas tax failed on Monday, locals and tourists alike are becoming discouraged to go out. "There are things I’d like to be doing but I have to always think, ‘Well, how much is this going to cost me? Is it really cost effective to go?’ Or I just say, ‘Oh, I’ll just have to wait,’" Knerr continued. Bill Basarsky, who is in town visiting from Canada, felt similarly, saying, "There is less money to go around so I probably spend a little bit less money going out for dinners and those sorts of things." Thursday morning, state Democrats proposed giving taxpayers a $400 rebate. In a statement from Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, he said, "The $400 rebate is a good start, we support it but believe we are in a position to do much more…I am supportive of both a more robust rebate/direct aid program as well as a freezing of gas tax increases." And some people in our area feel the same way. "It’s a start," Knerr said. "If it keeps going for an extended period, then I would expect a second helping there." Basarsky added, "It’s not dissimilar to what we are seeing north of the border. There have been some gas rebates coming through to hopefully get people over the hump a bit, and I think it’s important because its infrastructure people rely on." Here is an estimated breakdown of California’s gas prices as of this Monday: Distribution, Marketing Costs and Profits is about 8.4% of what you pay at the pump. Crude Oil Costs: 44.7% Refinery Cost and Profit: 32% State Underground Storage Tank Fee: 0.4% State and Local Tax: 2.1% State Excise Tax: 9.1% Federal Excise Tax: 3.3% Assemblymember Garcia also commented on the failed proposal of suspending the state’s gas tax, saying, "It was not a fully cooked policy that fell far too short of the solution residents deserve."