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September 14, 2005 9:15 AM, EDT

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klahoma voters on Tuesday soundly defeated a statewide ballot measure that would have raised the state’s gasoline and diesel taxes to pay for bridge and road repairs, the Associated Press reported.

With almost all votes in, 87% of voters rejected the proposal to raise the tax on gasoline by 5 cents a gallon and the diesel tax by 8 cents, AP reported.

The tax now stands at 17 cents for gas and 14 cents for diesel.

Supporters of the tax hike admitted it faced an uphill battle, with retail fuel prices at record levels since Hurricane Katrina’s damage to the Gulf region's refinery infrastructure pushed prices higher since late August.

(Click here for previous coverage.)