The cost of living is getting higher and higher all the time, but in California, things are on a different level. Residents there are about to get another reminder of that starting on July 1. That’s when the state’s gasoline excise tax will increase by 2.2 cents per gallon, bringing the total to 63.4 cents per gallon, the highest state-level gas tax in the nation.

 

That’s notable enough on its own, but the bigger story is how quickly the tax has grown. Less than a decade ago, California’s gas tax stood at 27.8 cents per gallon. Now it’s more than double that figure, and the increases are built into law.