Wanted – Drivers To Test Milage Tax System

ST. PAUL  (AP) - Minnesota transportation officials are looking for a few good drivers for a test program that might someday lead to a mileage-based tax.

The 500 volunteers needed in Hennepin and Wright counties will use GPS-equipped smartphones to record and submit travel information. The idea is to see how well such a system works.

The state is looking ahead to a time when so many electric and hybrid vehicles are on the roads that a gas tax no longer nets enough money to build and maintain roads. A mileage tax would collect money based on how many miles someone drives rather than on how much gas they use.

The Legislature allocated $5 million for the pilot program in 2007. The department will recruit volunteers in May and begin the research in June.

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