Legislative Happenings - Friday, August 8, 2008 13:34 - 0 Comments

Alabama Survey Summary On Legislative Issues

The Capital Survey Research Center conducted a statewide survey of Alabama voters that dealt with important issues affecting Alabama citizens back in March. The survey was designed to determine how voters feel on a range of state tax issues and proposals that would be considered by the Alabama Legislature. Now that the current session is heading into the home stretch, it will be interesting to compare actual legislative results with the poll results. The following are some of the findings from this survey:

• State and Legislature Satisfaction. While a majority (55%) of Alabama voters are satisfied with the way things are going in Alabama, voters are split (39%-38%) on how things are going in the Legislature.
• State Taxes. While voters are split on whether or not they believe their own taxes are fair or unfair, voters (62%) believe Alabama has unfair state taxes; support (59%) a progressive or graduated income tax; and, oppose (74%) the state sales tax on food items.

These positions on core Alabama tax system values would appear to provide a foundation of voter support for tax reform designed to make Alabama taxes fairer. However, according to the survey results, voter linkage of values to specific proposals is much less clear. For example, voters overwhelmingly support:

• four-year property tax appraisal;
• industry environmental tax to fund health care programs;
• providing and taxing bingo in Mobile and Birmingham to fund Medicaid; and,
• a corporation tax to fund public safety.

As expected, everything learned from the survey wasn’t positive. However, some of the findings were somewhat of a surprise. The following issues are opposed by Alabama voters:

• an increased tax on automobile tags to hire more State Troopers;
• toll roads to fund building of roads and bridges;
• changing the state tax on gasoline from a per gallon to a per cent price; and,
• a gasoline tax increase to fund maintenance of roads and bridges.

The survey also dealt with a number of non-tax issues that directly affect Alabama citizens. The following is a summary of public support for other legislative proposals. According to the survey, voters support:

• non-partisan election of judges;
• labeling of foreign foods ;
• disclosure of campaign fund sources;
• business fines for hiring illegal immigrants;
• ban of smoking in most public places;
• Alabama Rural Development Commission;
• voluntary, state-funded pre-K education program;
• vote on Constitutional convention; and,
• a separate State Board of Education for Community and Technical Colleges.

The support of each of these non-tax proposals was extremely strong. It’s quite evident that Alabama citizens are strongly in favor of each proposal. On the other hand, the survey tells us that Alabama voters oppose the following which are money-related:

• increased automobile taxes to hire State Troopers;
• banning public education employees from serving in the Legislature; and,
• toll roads.

Dr. Gerald Johnson, an extremely well-respected pollster, supplied this information. Over the years, I have found Dr. Johnson to be quite accurate in his polling of issues affecting Alabama citizens. It will be interesting to see how the future actions by members of the Legislature during the balance of the current session mirror the findings of this survey.

Source: Capital Survey Research Center