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Would you support replacing the gas tax with a per-mile road use fee?

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Traditionally, the gas tax has served as a primary source of state funding for road maintenance and repair. However, some have begun to question the fairness of the gas tax as revenues stagnate and more fuel-efficient or alternative fuel vehicles take to the roads.

One such alternative is a road use fee, a program being tested right now in California. Road use fees would replace the gas tax with a per-mile charge levied on drivers. Questions remain as to the most fair and reliable way of determining a driver's mileage, with collection methods varying from submitting odometer photos to using plug-in devices.

Earlier this year the New Hampshire House of Representatives rejected two bills that would have created a fee structure for cars based on miles per gallon. 

Proponents argue that a road use fee more fairly distributes the burden of road maintenance, ensuring that those driving electric or hybrid cars still pay their share.

Opponents counter that mileage collection methods are an invasion of privacy, or are simply not feasible. Others argue that replacing the gas tax with a per-mile charge removes one of the incentives of purchasing a more fuel-efficient vehicle, and that use of such vehicles should be encouraged for environmental reasons.

UPDATE: Read our Citizen Voices℠ report and find out where New Hampshire stands on this issue.

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