Mar. 4, 2010: Poll: Pennsylvania Voters Against Rendell Sales Tax Plan
HARRISBURG -- Voters oppose Gov. Ed Rendell's plan to reduce the state's sales tax and expand it to cover most items not taxed now, a poll released Wednesday shows.
Rendell's proposal, detailed in last month's budget address to the Legislature, would lower the 6-percent sales tax to 4 percent but broaden its application to virtually all items and services except food, clothing and pharmaceuticals.
The poll by Quinnipiac University of 1,452 Pennsylvanians showed they oppose the sales tax plan 53 percent to 40 percent. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.
Rendell says it's necessary to raise money to prepare for a "fiscal tsunami" facing Pennsylvanians over the next two years. He leaves office in January.
"Questions about taxes often fare poorly in a vacuum because people tend to be skeptical of change and afraid of the unknown," said Rendell's spokesman Gary Tuma. "It would be more meaningful to learn how the public feels about the sales tax proposal versus another tax idea, in the face of a significant future budget shortfall."
Rendell's $29 billion budget proposal "strikes voters as too generous in tough times," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac Polling Institute.
Republican voters overwhelmingly opposed the sales tax expansion 66 percent to 28 percent. Democrats approved of Rendell's proposal with a bare majority, 51 percent to 41 percent. Independent voters opposed it 53 percent to 40 percent.
Joe Henchman, director of state projects for the Washington-based Tax Foundation, said Rendell's proposal eliminates many "unjustified expenditures" but would "double tax" some items -- such as residential phone bills, which bear a gross receipts tax.
In this year's governor's race, the poll showed Attorney General Tom Corbett of Shaler with a commanding lead over state Rep. Sam Rohrer of Berks County in the Republican primary, and leading Democrats in theoretical matchups by double digits.
Among Democratic voters, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato of Brighton Heights led candidates with 16 percent support, followed by state Auditor General Jack Wagner of Beechview, at 11 percent, Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel at 10 percent, and state Sen. Anthony Williams of Philadelphia, with 2 percent. Williams entered the race two weeks ago.
"Don't know" was the leading answer among Democrats polled about the governor's race.