SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A new study claims $4.5 billion in "hidden state taxes" and climate mandates are allegedly driving up Californian's utility bills.
This comes as bills have doubled and even tripled since December.
The report is by the Transparency Foundation, which is a "nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to making public institutions more transparent and accountable to the people they serve," according to its website.
CEO Carl DeMaio said their study reveals Californians paid 67.1% more for electricity and 30.1% more for natural gas than the national average in 2022.
"The 4.5 billion dollars in charges that are hidden in state taxes amount to a cumulative tax rate statewide of 10%. That is higher than the sales tax," DeMaio said.
DeMaio said the numbers come from examing specific rate cases filed by the utility companies with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
He said it's the state that ultimately sets the rates, not utility companies.
"So any profits that have been taken by utility companies have actually been blessed and approved by state politicians," he said.
Complaints continue to pour in on the CPUC's website.
One woman who lives in Chula Vista said her father's bill this month was $650.
Another woman from El Cajon commented her bill last month was $500, which is $300 more than what she usually pays for January.
The study also blames the state's climate mandates as a reason for high utility costs.
A different report by the Pacific Research Institute published last year stated California imposing an array of energy regulations and taxes to achieve its goal of 100% clean electricity by 2045 is inflating utility bills.
"And so all of these costs for virtue signaling energy, non-carbon energy will continue to increase in the state of California," DeMaio said.
In an email to ABC 10News, SGD&E said it's aware of the Transparency Foundation's report and is reviewing it. The CPUC did not respond to a request for comment about the report.
