Outlook bleak for proposed fuel tax hike

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Oklahoma voters will decide Tuesday whether to increase state fuel taxes at a time when the cost of regular gas is hovering near three-dollars a gallon.<br/><br/>Polls show about

Sunday, September 11th 2005, 6:39 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Oklahoma voters will decide Tuesday whether to increase state fuel taxes at a time when the cost of regular gas is hovering near three-dollars a gallon.

Polls show about 75 percent of likely voters in the state plan to oppose the measure. Supporters and opponents alike say it'll be difficult to pass with gasoline prices at record highs.

The plan would increase the state fuel tax to 22-cents a gallon -- a nickel increase for gasoline and an 8-cent increase for diesel.

Proponents and opponents of the measure agree that Oklahoma's roads and bridges need improvements. The Road Information Program, a national transportation research group, ranks the state's bridges as the worst in the nation because 33 percent are structurally deficient.