From The K-B-L-G News Center...

Motorists may one day be taxed by an on-board computer that records the miles they drive, rather than paying for federal road construction through fuel taxes. 

That's an alternative the University of Iowa Public Policy Center is studying. 

Researchers are looking for 1,500 participants in six cities, including Billings, to install the computers on their vehicles and tell researchers what they think of the new system.  Participants would be required to fill out surveys and, in return, they would receive $895. 

Last year motorists in several cities, including Boise, Idaho, gave their opinions on the system.  University of Iowa professor Jon Kuhl says that the data has not been analyzed so it's too early to reach conclusions from that phase of the $16.5 million study. 

Kuhl says that within a decade, the federal gas tax will no longer cover road construction costs, mainly because vehicles are becoming more fuel efficient.           

On the Net:      Road User Study: www.roaduserstudy.org           

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