Most Pennsylvanians Oppose Sales Tax Plan

The majority of Pennsylvania voters aren’t on board with Governor Rendell’s proposal to lower the sales tax rate and expand its base.
Just three in ten people think broadening the sales tax base while lowering the rate from six to four percent is a good idea.
Franklin and Marshall College Poll director Terry Madonna says that’s according to the school’s new survey.

"So that’s one of the reasons Governor Rendell is having this huge problem as he moves around the state trying to sell this sales tax. By and large, the voters in the state are not in favor of it."

The sales tax proposal is the centerpiece of Rendell’s plan to create a stimulus transition fund. The proposal also includes a tax on smokeless tobacco and cigars, which is popular with voters.
The poll says six in ten respondents support that idea. A tax on natural gas drilling is also unpopular, with only 35 percent supporting the levy.
The survey interviewed a bit more than 11-hundred Pennsylvania residents.