The California Chamber of Commerce recently released a list of 27 proposed "Job Killer" bills that could hurt California’s jobs climate. One of the measures on the list, Senate Bill 1017 (Evans), would triple existing oil taxes and could drive up gas prices as well as the costs of other goods and services.

"We must make protecting California jobs, the state’s fragile economy and our way of life top priorities. An oil extraction tax will drive up consumer prices, push jobs away and upset a fragile economy that is showing strong signs of life," said Allan Zaremberg, President and CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce.

"Families rely on small businesses for the products they need on a daily basis. Tripling the oil tax would force struggling businesses to trim costs by raising their prices and reducing their workforce. Just when our state’s economy is on the upswing, now is not the time to raise the tax burden on Californians," said John Kabateck, Executive Director, National Federation of Independent Business/California.

Senate Bill 1017 is scheduled for a vote in the Senate Education Committee on April 24, 2014.

Californians Against Higher Oil Taxes is a coalition of businesses, taxpayers and consumers, committed to increasing the education and awareness about the devastating effects of another oil tax to California’s middle-class families and economy. Visit www.stoptheoiltax.com for more information.