AB205 mandates that the electric utilities in California establish income based fees for fixed costs of operating the utilities. How will the utilities determine your income so that they can slot you into the appropriate income tier? We can guess. They will likely charge the highest tier amount (e.g. $85) unless you can provide evidence of your having an income of less than $180,000. So, it appears that if your income is actually less than $180,000 you will have to prove it or pay the highest income tier amount to your local utility (PGE, SCE, SDG&E).
This mandated scheme is akin to yet another progressive tax on income but this time collected by your local electric utility. It is in some respects another attack on solar system homeowners and another disincentive for prospective solar system homeowners. People who installed solar systems in recent years based their investment on many factors that made the installation a viable financial proposition. Many exchanged the monthly electric bill for a monthly payment on the solar system amortized over the projected lifespan of the system. With the introduction of an income based fee on electric connection to the grid those savings are largely eliminated.
The leftist political system in California and the USA continues to saturate our political initiatives now expanding into the commercial sector of providing essential services. This is reflective of the decline in American values that pervades our lives today. Our mixed economy is devolving into the “Welfare State”.