A new poll from The Buckeye Institute shows that 65 percent of Ohioans oppose Gov. Mike Dewine’s 18-cent gas-tax hike, consistent with the results of a Tuesday poll from Baldwin Wallace University.
As The Ohio Star reported Tuesday, Baldwin Wallace found that just 6.5 percent of Ohioans “strongly support” an 18-cent increase, while 32 percent “oppose” the increase and another 23 percent are “strongly” opposed.
The Buckeye Institute released the results of its poll Wednesday and came up with similar numbers. A whopping 65 percent of respondents said they “oppose the proposed gas tax increase,” compared to 24 percent who said they support it.
The Ohio Senate proposed a six-cent increase in place of DeWine’s 18-cent figure, and 55 percent of respondents said they support the lower increase. Additionally, 51 percent believe that any gas-tax increase should be offset “by cutting taxes and spending in other areas in order to neutralize the impact on working families.”
On the current gas tax of 28-cents per gallon, 45 percent of respondents expressed support, while 41 percent thought even that figure was too high.
“Ohioans have spoken clearly: they are taxed enough already, thank you very much,” said Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of The Buckeye Institute. “Ohioans want good roads, but a majority of them expressed that any tax increase to pay for roads should be small and they also demanded that any increase in the gas tax should be offset by corresponding spending cuts or other tax cuts.”
“As the conference committee begins its work today, The Buckeye Institute strongly urges policymakers to respect the opinion of voters and refrain from increasing the tax burden on Ohioans,” he added.
The Buckeye Institute’s poll, conducted by Cor Strategies, surveyed 2,042 Ohioans and had a 2.17 percent margin of error.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
[…] As The Ohio Star reported, Baldwin Wallace University found that 55 percent of Ohioans either “oppose” or “strongly oppose” the tax increase, while The Buckeye Institute found that 65 percent are opposed. […]
[…] As The Ohio Star reported, Baldwin Wallace University found that 55 percent of Ohioans either “oppose” or “strongly oppose” the tax increase, while The Buckeye Institute found that 65 percent are opposed. […]
[…] As The Ohio Star reported, Baldwin Wallace University found that 55 percent of Ohioans either “oppose” or “strongly oppose” the tax increase, while The Buckeye Institute found that 65 percent are opposed. […]