New Jersey Drivers Are Skeptical Of Raising Gas Tax

It's just proving to be a hard sell.

That's a political reality spelled out last week in a Quinnipiac University poll that showed 58 percent of residents oppose raising the gasoline tax while 39 percent support the idea.

"What the poll data does not answer is how do we pay our bills," said Assemblyman John Wisniewski, who chairs the transportation committee and oversaw four field hearings on the transportation trust fund. "I don't be believe there's anybody who wants to suggest that we should stop investing in infrastructure, that we don't need safe bridges, adequate rail and all the other facilities that are part of what we need to do."

The committee held the hearings to raise awareness about the need for more revenue for capital projects and legislative leaders address the trust fund frequently during public events. Senate President Steve Sweeney held a news conference before Thanksgiving during which he discussed the issue and both Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto made similar calls for action during a local government convention in Atlantic City last month.

Despite such pitch jobs, New Jerseyans chafe at the notion of paying more at the pump. Some complain they're already saddled with the highest property taxes in the nation while others said there is no wiggle room in their budgets.

"We don't need it," Jane Hemmes, of Hamilton Square, said of higher taxes for infrastructure. "I'm on a fixed income, and I cannot afford it."

Daryl Updike, of Bordentown, travels across the state for Chem Dry Express, a mobile carpet-cleaning service. He's unsure whether he'd support higher taxes to pay for infrastructure, but said he believes higher prices at the pump would be passed along to customers.

The problem facing lawmakers is that revenues for the $1.26 billion fund go toward debt payments, and newprojects are funded through more debt. Republican Gov. Chris Christie — who's considering a 2016 White House bid — has said all options are on the table. Democratic leaders in the Legislature say raising taxes will likely be necessary.

Wisniewski has introduced a measure that would raise money for the fund by hiking a tax on petroleum products, resulting in a cost of nearly $300 a year for drivers, he has said.

He worries about the practical possibility of not paying for infrastructure, he added.

Residents, though, say they've heard similar claims before and they are weary of them.

Bob Morton, of Bordentown, said he is on a fixed income and can't afford to pay more at the pump, even if it's for infrastructure. He plans to vote against officials who support a tax hike.

"The problem is — I've lived in this town my whole life — they tell us the same things all the time," he said. "Hopefully we can find different people."

There's no agreement on how to proceed, but lawmakers say a decision could be made February when Christie delivers his budget address to lawmakers.

Mickey Carroll, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll, is skeptical that the public opposition would stop lawmakers from raising the tax.

"Polls matter but there are things where you know what the decisions are gonna be," he said. "And if politicians decide, 'Look we have to fix this,' they'll do it hell or high water."

The poll of 1,340 registered voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.

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