A survey conducted recently by the Mineta Transportation Institute found that linking a transportation tax to environmental benefits can strongly increase support.


When respondents were given the option of varying the flat-rate (base) mileage tax by the vehicle's pollution levels, support was increased by 12 percentage points. For the gas tax, spreading the tax increase over five years increased support by 16 percentage points, and linking the increase to reducing global warming increased support by 19 percentage points.

The survey, conducted from April 27 to May 22, tested national public support for sales, gas, and mileage taxes that would raise revenue for transportation purposes. Researchers presented multiple variations on the mileage tax and gas tax concepts to test relative support levels among the different options.

The most popular option for raising transportation revenue through federal taxes included a half-cent sales tax, which received 43 percent support from respondents. Forty-two percent of respondents said they support a 10-cent gas tax increase for projects to reduce the transportation system's impact on global warming, while 39 percent support a 10-cent gas tax boost spread over five years.

The survey also found that low support levels for a one-time gas tax increase can be raised by modifying how the tax is structured and the way it is described. Linking the revenue to environmental benefits is one good option, while spreading the increase over several years is another.

To download the survey, go to transweb.sjsu.edu/project/2928.html.