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Counting The Miles

Oregon looks to a non-gas 'gas' tax.

As Oregon faces projections of perpetual deficits in its transportation budget, lawmakers may replace the state's gas tax with a per-mile driving tax.

Officials are considering taxing mileage with one of two recording devices to be placed in new cars: an electronic odometer or a global positioning system. James Whitty, administrator of Oregon's Road User Fee Task Force, which the legislature created in 2001, says using GPS devices would let the state regulate traffic patterns by varying prices based on how far Oregonians drive.

The mileage-tax proposal has come under fire from environmentalists who say drivers will have less incentive to buy fuel-efficient cars without a gas tax, and privacy advocates worry that the GPS systems could be used to delve into Oregonians' personal lives. Whitty says privacy concerns are unwarranted because the GPS system would not record where cars travel, only the number of miles they cover.

The state would phase in the mileage tax for new cars over a period of 20 years or so. It is looking into ways to keep owners of older vehicles and out-of-state drivers paying the gas tax.

The proposal for a mileage tax stems from projections showing that the gas tax will be unable to pay for the state's transportation costs in coming years. With more hybrid cars--which rely on a combination of gas and electric power--coming into the market, Oregonians are expected to buy less gas and thus pay less in gas taxes.

The technology needed to implement the proposal is being developed by Oregon State University researchers, with in-car tests slated to begin next spring.

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