Louisianans are more likely to support a gasoline tax increase to pay for better roads and bridges than any other revenue raising measure for other services, LSU’s annual Louisiana Survey 2017 shows.
“A higher gas tax is the clearest example of an area where people both want to see more investment and are willing to pay for it,” Michael Henderson, the report’s co-author and Public Policy Research Lab director, tells The USA Today Network of Louisiana.
Gov. John Bel Edwards is expected to lay out his tax proposals on Wednesday after postponing the roll out of his legislative agenda Monday for the session beginning April 10. One of his proposals will certainly be an increase to the state’s 16-cent-per gallon gasoline tax that has been in place for three decades.
The Louisiana Survey asked respondents about their support of a potential gas tax increase of five, 10, 15 and 20 cents per gallon.
“Support declines as the size of the increase rises but remains the fifty percent threshold at all values,” reads a report accompanying the results. Specifically, 73% said they would support a five cent increase, 58% support a 10 cent rise, 61% support a 15 cent hike and 55% favor a full 20 cent increase.
Edwards hasn’t yet said how much of a gas tax increase he will support, but it could almost double with a 15-cent hike.
“The bottom line is we have a $13 billion backlog (in deferred transportation infrastructure maintenance) and we’re not going to be able to draw down our federal transportation trust fund dollars as soon as 2019 with our existing revenue,” Edwards tells The USA Today Network of Louisiana. “I will support any legislation this year consistent with the transportation task force recommendations.”
