SIGNIFICANT OPPOSITION STILL PERSISTS FOR N.J. GAS TAX HIKES

A recent Rutgers-Eagleton poll shows that six out of ten New Jerseyans continue to oppose increasing the state’s 15-cent-a-gallon gasoline tax, one of the lowest in the country. Forty-one per cent of those polled support raising the gas tax, while 56 percent do not. David Redlawsk, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, said public support of raising the gas tax may be rising slightly. The most recent poll shows support for raising the tax has increased by three percentage points from October. Lawmakers have said that New Jersey roads are in need of repair and the tax increase is needed to renew the transportation trust fund. For the first time in more than 30 years, the Rutgers poll asked New Jersey residents about the condition of local and state roads. Fifty-four percent of those polled said state roads—not including the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike—were in good or excellent shape. Another 36 percent said state roads were in fair condition, while 9 percent think they are poor.