ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, June 16, 1996 TAG: 9606170093
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
State lawmakers remain unconvinced that Virginians favor a tax increase for higher education, despite a business group's survey that purports to show public support for such a measure.
``I don't think any public hungers for taxes, I don't know of any General Assembly that hungers for taxes, and I know of one governor that has no appetite at all for them,'' said John Chichester, R-Fredericksburg, co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
The survey, commissioned by the Virginia Business Higher Education Council, found that 38 percent of the respondents believe the state doesn't spend enough on public colleges.
More than half of the 800 people surveyed said they think state funding is inadequate for kindergarten through 12th grade. Also, 44 percent said the state doesn't spend enough on the poor and disadvantaged, 43 percent said roads and highways don't get enough money, and 33 percent view funding for environmental protection as inadequate.
After they were told that Virginia provides less money for colleges than most other states, 68 percent of the respondents said they would be at least ``somewhat willing'' to pay more, the poll conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University's Survey Research Laboratory found.
But the only taxes a majority would be willing to see increased for colleges or other needs are so-called ``sin taxes'' on alcoholic beverages and tobacco products.
Fewer than half of the respondents would support an increase in the corporate income tax, barely a fourth would favor increasing state gasoline or sales taxes and only 13 percent would support raising personal income taxes.
The survey was conducted in February.
Gov. George Allen's spokesman Ken Stroupe saw nothing in the poll to indicate support for a tax increase. He said people often look at ``sin taxes'' as something that won't affect them.
But Del. Jay DeBoer, D-Petersburg and a member of the House Finance Committee, said the survey results also show ``there's not an overwhelming opposition'' to some form of tax increase for colleges and other state needs.
``What the survey, to me, suggests is that there may be some wiggle room in our tax structure to increase funding for higher education,'' DeBoer said.
But other legislators say Virginia's colleges - whose 1996-98 budgets were increased by several hundred million dollars and now are at their highest level this decade - must make good use of those funds before seeking more.
``Is there a demonstrated, justified need?'' asked Del. Franklin Hall, D-Richmond. ``At this point, it hasn't been demonstrated.''
LENGTH: Medium: 56 linesby CNB