NM drivers asked to test alternative to fuel tax

Researchers are looking for 1,500 drivers in six cities, including Albuquerque, to test an on-board computer system that taxes motorists based on miles driven rather than fuel taxes paid at the pump. That mileage-based tax is being considered by the University of Iowa Public Policy Center in a $16.5 million study for the U.S. Department of Transportation to determine whether it's a viable option for paying for surface transportation, including roads and railroads, in the future. Researchers are looking for participants to install the computers on their vehicles and tell researchers what they think of the new system. The other cities are Billings, Mont.; Chicago; Miami; Portland, Maine; and Wichita, Kan. Last year, motorists in San Diego, Calif.; Austin, Texas; Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, N.C.; Boise, Idaho; and eastern Iowa gave their opinions on the system. Kuhl said the data has not been analyzed so it's too early to reach conclusions from that phase of the study. Currently, motorists pay 18 cents per gallon of fuel to the federal Highway Trust Fund to pay for surface transportation, Kuhl said. All states except Alaska also charge a state gas tax. But the tax - the primary source of federal highway program funds - has become less effective in recent years. "As vehicles become more fuel efficient, the money raised by the gas tax goes down," Kuhl said. And drivers of the increasingly popular electric, hydrogen and hybrid vehicles aren't paying their fair share for road use...AP