Survey: Virginians unfamiliar with gas tax

There is new evidence that Virginians do not know how much the statewide gas tax is.

The tax, paid when drivers fill up at the pump, is a major source of funding for local highway and transit improvements.

Many of the respondents in a recent state-wide poll of 506 likely voters, commissioned by Christopher Newport University and two other state media outlets, believe the gas tax to be 72 cents per gallon statewide. In reality, the tax is about 18 cents, according to the survey results.

The General Assembly in recent months sliced money from the state’s transportation budget to make up for budget shortfalls. The budget cuts came as a blow to both Northern Virginia and Hampton roads, as both regions share similar transportation challenges.

If more money needed to be cut from the state budget, 23.5 percent of those surveyed – the highest percentage for that particular question - said money should be cut from the transportation – before cuts were made to health, public safety and education.

The results state 58.4 percent of those polled support a plan detailed from Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert F. McDonnell, to sell state liquor stores to pay for transportation improvements. A larger number of respondents, 68.7 percent, oppose increasing the gas tax.

The question about the gas tax was a multiple choice question. Respondents were given options like 28 cents, 45 cents, 72 cents and the correct answer of 18 cents per gallon. The results stated 63.7 percent admitted they didn’t know what the answer was.

Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance President Robert Chase blames elected officials for not communicating the actual cost of the tax to their constituents.

“When public officials choose to ignore the facts and fail to provide the new reliable transportation funding that Virginia needs, the general public pays a huge price in congested and deteriorating roadways,” said Chase.

Chase said $500 million annually is drained from the state’s construction budget, and that soon federal gasoline taxes will soon go to other states because Virginia will no longer have enough money to match federal dollars.

The last time the state increased the gas tax was 22 years ago, when the state created the Transportation Trust fund. Since 2002, money from the transportation trust fund has been funneled to cover the costs of maintenance and upkeep of the state’s transportation network.

Now the state boasts 1,700 structurally-deficient bridges. Virginia Transportation officials announced last week the state will fork out $58 million to repair 119 bridges, two of which are in neighboring Loudoun County.

The commonwealth expects to be reimbursed with stimulus funds from the federal government.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.