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Industry poll: Majority of Americans want more infrastructure funding
A large majority of U.S. residents what Congress to spend more money on transportation infrastructure, according to poll conducted on behalf of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).
The AEM, which represents companies that make the machines used in construction projects, said Wednesday that its poll showed 77 percent of American citizens are in favor of "rebuilding" or "modernization" infrastructure in the U.S.
The poll, which was conducted by the Clarus Research Group, also found that 60 percent of its respondents were not aware of the gap being the amount of money that is collected by the 18.4 cents-per-gallon gas tax that is normally used to fund transportation projects and the current levels of spending in the recently approved highway bill.
Proposals to increase transportation revenue by mechanisms such as increasing the gas tax or instituting a tax based on Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) instead of fuel purchases have faced opposition in the past.
The AEM poll found that opposition to gas tax increases remains strong, with 70 percent of its respondents saying they would oppose a 10 cent-per-gallon increase. The equipment manager's group said, however, that 53 percent of its respondents said they would support increasing a temporary five-year increase in overall sales taxes to pay for transportation construction.
The $105 billion transportation bill that was passed by Congress last year uses a mix of trust fund sweeps and tax loopholes to cover the gap between gas tax revenues and its $54 billion per year spending levels, which advocates warn is just enough to maintain the current transportation system.
The measure, which is known as the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) bill, is set in 2014.
The full AEM poll can be read here.
