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Poll: Only 29 Percent Support Road Funding Proposal, Once They Know The Details

LANSING (WWJ) - A new poll out Friday shows Michigan's road funding and sales tax proposal is in trouble.

The MIRS poll shows 36 percent of likely voters support Proposal One, and 55 percent oppose it.  But when all the information about the proposal is given — support falls to just 29 percent, with 65 percent against.

Prop One calls for tax money collected at the gas pump to be used for road repairs.  The sales tax in the state would increase from 6 to 7  percent, with the extra penny earmarked for schools and local governments.

Despite how it looks at this point, pollster Ed Sarpolus believes there's still a chance it could pass.

"If the governor can get a broader team, not just himself,  but prominent Democrats like Carl Levin, or Blanchard or Granholm — or Republicans like Milliken, or Brooks Patterson or...John Engler, to say this is the (solution), we've been fighting this for 50 years," Sarpolus said. "Right now he doens't have the credibility because of the division in his own party,and Democrats attacked him for over a year."

Prior to the May 5 vote, a state organization is offering specific details on the proposal for anyone who wants to learn more.

Bob Schneider, a director with, Citizens Research Council of Michigan, said he's hoping the data they've collected regarding Proposal 1 will give voters the ability to make informative decisions before they cast their votes.

"I think there's a consensus now that we need more money for roads, and the question is, should we raise taxes and raise revenue to generate that money? Should it come from existing revenue, and something else has to take the hit, you know, in the state budget to make the money available?" Schneider said. "Voters will have to decide whether they like this approach."

Schneider told WWJ's Chrystal Knight the council has a lot of information available online.

"If the public goes and looks at two things: our report, and we did a live webinar on Wednesday; that's also available on our website — you can view an archived version of that," he said.

"We try to take your through the details so you get an idea of how things are going to impact the public."

Learn more at this link.

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