15 percent of Americans support gas tax increase
For most Americans an increased gas tax is a bridge to nowhereCongress has plans to spend some $500 billion in road, bridge and transit projects. Unfortunately, current gas taxes are insufficient to fund these projects according to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. So, he and others have floated around the idea of an increase in gasoline taxes to fund these projects.
Hence, Rasmussen Reports conducted a national telephone survey to determine if there was support for such a tax increase. 15 percent of Americans said yes. Instead of raising the tax, most respondents would prefer that the government cut back on its transportation projects.
Labels: gas tax
posted by Dahcredyns at
3:41 PM
12 Comments:
It's even worse than your cutline.
" Just 10% of adults think the federal government should increase the tax on gasoline by a large amount as a way of encouraging people to buy more fuel-efficient cars, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey."
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/gas_oil/may_2009/81_oppose_gas_tax_hike_to_encourage_sales_of_more_efficient_cars
so those in this blog that advocate this - consider yourself in the 10% range.
Idealistic but not pragmatic!
This is due to a lack of education...
Very few people actually know that the federal gas tax is only 15 cents per gallon....
Most folks think we are spending between 50 cents and 1 dollar in federal gas taxes.
I think if you send out a poll that states that the federal gas tax is 15 cents per gallon and ask if they would support an increase to 20 cents, I'll bet you would get a lot more than 15 percent support.....
alright.. you're going to have to explain your logic on the Fed Gas Tax.
It's pretty much universally said to be:
" The Federal Tax of 18.4 cents per gallon is collected in all states in addition to any state or local taxes on gasoline sales."
http://www.gaspricewatch.com/usgastaxes.asp
..." ... plus 18.4 cents per US gallon federal tax"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_tax
so why do you say 15 cents?
I partially agree on folks knowledge of how much the tax actually is but I think most of them know what a nickel is and most of the polls show opposition to increases of a nickel or more.
there is no political party - left or right that will support an increase in the gas tax without more public support.
perhaps the question is - who is responsible for "educating" the public?
OK. So I was off by 3.4 cents. The point is still the same.....
To be honest, federal gasoline taxes should be the same as all other forms of sales tax. It should be a "percent" of the cost, not a flat cents/gallons fee. Then as gas costs rise, so do federal revenues....
In response to your other question....
"who is responsible for "educating" the public?"
The "news media" should be providing this information. Unfortunately they only put out information that supports "their version" of the truth...
I agree the tax should be indexed.
The tax is on the gas pump when you buy gas and there are a ton of articles and polls out there.
What the polls tell us is that more than 80% don't even want to pay increases for more roads..more infrastructure ...
even less support an increase to encourage buying more fuel efficient cars.
I'm not one of those that blames the media though... especially when we've got everything from FOX to MSN to the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal all reporting.
i think this shows the failure of our political system and our politicians. for decades, excuse after excuse has been made in the name of maintaining position and power.
from what i've read, the current gas tax can't even maintain current infrastructure, let alone fund new projects. it should have been law long ago that any new project must be covered with gas tax revenue, and that if revenues were insufficient then the taxes automatically adjusted in some pay as you go formula.
likewise, the majority of citizens simply have their heads buried in the sand. if a bridge, such as the one in Minneapolis, fell apart in their backyard, i'm sure their response would be different.
nevertheless, i believe there is room for much re-education. either Congress or Obama need to creat a task force related to this issue simply to begin the process. that won't be enough, but at least it'll get the ball rolling.
when presented with unbiased, unpolitical facts, 'the people' tend to be more intelligent than often believed.
Well Larry G. here is some poll data from the other side of the street. Let's see who can find the most pro or con gas tax data you or me [just kidding]. I need to stay focused on a local issue so haven't been posting lately. About the only thing you can say about polling information is that it all depends on how you ask the question doesn't it.
Tom G
---------------------------------
Americans Would Support Higher Gas Tax to Reduce Global Warming
Economists Believe Raising Gasoline Prices Would Lower Consumption
By Larry West, About.com Guide
A Majority of Americans Support Targeted Gas Tax Increase.
Fifty-five percent of those polled said they would support an increase in the federal gasoline tax if it would reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil.
Fifty-nine percent said they would support a tax increase if it would result in less gasoline consumption and less global warming. (The nationwide telephone poll surveyed 1,018 adults; the margin of error is plus or minus three percentage points.)
Another one
Economists Urge Lower Income Taxes to Offset Gas Tax Increase
According to The New York Times, many mainstream economists believe that the best way to reduce gasoline consumption is by raising the gas tax significantly—perhaps $1 per gallon over five years—while lowering income taxes to offset the added cost. The goal would be to force people to drive less because of the increased cost of gasoline, but to reduce the overall financial impact with the offset, which many economists believe would actually improve things for most low- and middle-income people.
tom-
i agree that the way the question is asked is extremely vital, that is a critical part of the education process.
if someone is shopping for a car you can't just ask if they'd like to pay an extra grand for their car. you have to give them something for that extra grand.
first I've seen of that poll.. can you provide the reference?
I'm not a poll guy per se but more of a pragmatist who believes that if you want change - you need to deal with the things that are preventing it.
We cannot simply "wish" that people were more educated.
Politicians work the same way.
They're supposed to lead - granted - but they cannot lead where people do not want to go.
no one wants to see us move toward a less fossil-fuel centric future than myself - but blaming others ... folks who not educated, the media, the folks who won't ignore voters and do what's should be done... not going to happen....
frustrating yes - but change always is...
people WILL change if they see it to their benefit.
Just look at the billions of people who have adopted cell phones, the internet and other technology that benefited them.
right?
i agree larry. and I think that a well written gas tax increase can be constructed in a way that can demonstrate positive return to average consumers, and where real long term benefits can be explained.
likewise, i think a pretty negative picture can be portrayed if we don't take action.
Larry G, I believe I did the following Google search. "gas tax increase" Lots of hits but the one I copied was this one.
http://environment.about.com/od/environmentallawpolicy/a/gasolinetax.htm
Have a great day.
Tom G.
Chat with you in about a week or two o.k.
thanks Tom... now I've seen it.
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