A Bloomberg National Poll shows 55 percent of Americans would support a gas tax increase for funding bridge and road projects.
The question was one of multiple queries posed to respondents July 8-12. Selzer & Company conducted the poll of 1,001 U.S. adults ages 18 and over.
Forty-one percent responded that it was “Not Okay” to the question “Do you think it is or is not okay to increase the federal gas tax to pay for roads and bridges in your state?”
Bloomberg reports the supporters were bipartisan, with 51 percent of Republican respondents saying it was “Okay” to increase the gas tax, and 67 percent of Democrat respondents supporting such a measure.
Several states have increased their gas taxes this legislative session, with one of the more significant increases being in South Carolina. The state had not increase its gas tax in 30 years. The new measure, which was implemented after state legislators overrode Gov. Henry McMaster’s veto, will raise the tax 2 cents per gallon each year for the next six years.
The federal gas tax was last increased in 1993 and sits at 18.4 cents per gallon. The federal tax on diesel is 24.4 cent per gallon.
