Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs: Policy

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Research & Outreach > Center for the Study of Politics and Governance > Elections Projects > Polling Archives > Minnesota Poll Archive

Policy

Untitled Document

Budget and Taxes

* Taxes

* Budget Deficit (Federal)

* Budget Deficit (State)

* Budget Surplus

* Spending Priorities

Taxes

"Which of the following statements best describes your opinion about the state's tax and budgeting system?

A) The system is not working and needs to be completely overhauled to avoid large surpluses and deficits.

B) The system works as well as it can because finances have to be adjusted from year-to-year, depending on the state's needs."

Date	Needs to be completely overhauled	Works as well as it can	No opinion	Sample	MoE
January 23-26, 2005	42%	45%	13%	832	± 3.4

"The governor and many state legislators promised they would not vote for any additional taxes. Do you think they should continue to oppose any tax increases, or should they combine some tax increases with increased user fees and budget cuts to balance the budget?"

Date	Continue to oppose tax cuts	Combine tax increases w/user fees & budget cuts	No opinion	Sample	MoE
January 23-26, 2005	30%	57%	13%	832	± 3.4

"The Legislature could also consider increasing the sales tax or taxes on three things: gasoline, cigarettes, and personal income. Which one of those do you think the Legislature should consider [first/last]?"

Type of tax	First	Last
Cigarettes	71%	4%
Gasoline	8%	21%
State income tax	8%	53%
Sales tax	6%	16%
None (vol.)	5%	3%
No opinion	2%	3%

Poll: March 7-10, 2002
Sample: 823
MoE: ± 3.4

"Some legislators have proposed cutting state income tax rates by an equal amount for all tax brackets. Others want to give a bigger tax break to lower- and middle-income workers. Which do you favor?"

Date	Cut equally for all	Bigger breaks to lower & middle income workers	No opinion	Sample	MoE
April 5-11, 2001	33%	64%	3%	829	± 3.4

"Governor Ventura has proposed a 15 percent reduction in property taxes. To make up that lost revenue, he wants the sales tax to be extended to such things as haircuts, auto repairs, funerals, lawyers' fees, and most other services. Do you favor or oppose this proposal?"

Date	Favor	Oppose	No opinion	Sample	MoE
April 5-11, 2001	28%	65%	7%	829	± 3.4

Budget Deficit (Federal)

"As far as you know, has the budget deficit risen or dropped since George W. Bush took office?"

Date	Risen	Dropped	No opinion	Sample	MoE
July 19-24, 2004	67%	15%	18%	1030	± 3.0

Budget Deficit (State)

Date	Oppose tax increases	Combine tax increases w/ other ways to balance budget	No opinion	Sample	MoE
April 30 – May 4, 2005	39%	53%	8%	832	± 3.4

"If the state must find additional revenue to balance the budget, which one of the following would you prefer the state Legislature to do? Which one of the following do you least prefer?"

State legislative action	Most prefer	Least prefer
Raise cigarette taxes	29%	4%
Raise Minnesota income taxes for the wealthiest	28%	7%
Expand gambling	19%	16%
Expand sales taxes to include more items	9%	17%
Raise taxes for some businesses	6%	5%
Raise Minnesota income taxes	3%	45%
None of them (vol.)	3%	1%
No opinion	3%	5%

Poll: April 30 – May 4, 2005
Sample: 832
MoE: ± 3.4

"Would you say that the budget cuts the Legislature and governor used to balance the state’s budget have helped you, hurt you, or not had much of an effect on you personally?"

Date	Helped	Hurt	Not much effect	No opinion	Sample	MoE
January 23-26, 2005	4%	36%	57%	4%	832	± 3.4

"Here is a list of some things that the state Legislature could do (in 2003) to reduce the existing budget deficit. Please tell me which ones you think are appropriate to help balance the budget?"

Proposed reduction	Appropriate		Not appropriate		No opinion
Proposed reduction	December 2002	April 2003	December 2002	April 2003	December 2002	April 2003
Cutting state spending	76%	81%	18%	14%	6%	5%
State tax increases on those in the highest income brackets	--	75%	--	21%	--	4%
Increase cigarette taxes	--	74%	--	24%	--	2%
Increase user fees for some state governmental services	59%	63%	32%	25%	9%	12%
Expanding gambling to get additional revenue	52%	59%	45%	38%	3%	3%
Using money now set aside for certain things, such as the tobacco endowment	56%	51%	35%	38%	9%	11%
Cutting state spending even if local property taxes were to increase	--	48%	--	45%	--	7%
Borrowing money to pay for some general fund spending	18%	22%	74%	71%	8%	7%
Raising taxes	37%	--	61%	--	2%	--

Poll: April 25-29, 2003 (Sample = 1033; MoE ± 3.0)
Poll: December 17-22, 2002 (Sample = 1003; MoE ± 3.1)

"As you may know, the state is facing one of the largest budget deficits in its history. Most legislators say that no matter what else happens to balance the budget, there will be budget cuts, and state user and license fees will go up. In addition, which of the following two choices do you think is the best way to balance the budget? …

A) No state tax increases, large state budget cuts, and increases in local property taxes OR

B) State income tax increases on those in the highest income brackets, large cigarette tax increases, smaller state budget cuts, and a smaller local property tax increase?"

Date	A	B	Neither (vol.)	No opinion	Sample	MoE
April 25-29, 2003	18%	73%	6%	3%	1033	± 3.0

"How much would you say you know about Governor Pawlenty's proposals to balance the state's budget over the next two years? Would you say you know quite a lot, a fair amount, only a little, or not much at all?"

Date	Quite a lot	Fair amount	Only a little	Not much at all / nothing	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Feb. 20-23, 2003	10%	45%	27%	17%	1%	845	± 3.4

"One of the governor's proposals to balance the budget is to reduce state aid to local governments. Do you approve or disapprove of this reduction even if it means raising your local property taxes?"

Date	Approve	Disapprove	No opinion	Sample	MoE
February 20-23, 2003	43%	49%	8%	845	± 3.4

"One of the ways the governor proposes to fix the budget deficit is to use money that tobacco companies paid to Minnesota as a lawsuit settlement. Do you think the money should be used for the budget deficit or for its original antismoking and health education purposes?"

Date	Budget deficit	Anti-smoking / health education	No opinion	Sample	MoE
February 20-23, 2003	48%	45%	7%	845	± 3.4

"Which one of the following do you think is the best way to handle the remainder of the state's deficit ... cut state spending even more, a combination of spending cuts and increased taxes, a sales tax increase, or a tax increase on things such as cigarettes, gasoline and personal income."

Date	Cut spending	Combination of both	Tax increases	No opinion	Sample	MoE
March 7-10, 2002	28%	40%	25%	7%	823	± 3.4

"Here's a list of five areas the state Legislature could further cut spending: kindergarten through 12th grade education, the state's colleges and universities, health care, social services such as welfare and job training, and the state criminal justice system? Which one of those do you think should be the [first/last] to have its budget cut?"

Area	First	Last
Social services such as welfare and job training	32%	7%
State criminal justice system	26%	7%
State’s colleges and universities	18%	6%
K-12 education	3%	52%
Health care	3%	20%
Other (vol.)	1%	< 1%
None (vol.)	9%	3%
No opinion	8%	5%

Poll: March 7-10, 2002
Sample: 823
MoE: ± 3.4

Budget Surplus

"(Next a couple of issues that will come before the Minnesota Legislature this session…). The governor and some legislators have proposed different ways of handling this year's surplus. One is to return the surplus in individual checks to taxpayers. Another is to create an endowment, with earnings that could be used to fund schools, roads, environmental programs, and other such things. Would you prefer that all of the money be used for the tax rebate, all of it be used for the endowment, or some of it go to each?"

Date	All to rebate	All to endowment	Some to each	No opinion	Sample	MoE
January 2-7, 2001	32%	12%	54%	2%	781	± 3.5

"The state is projecting another budget surplus this year of about 1.8 billion dollars. The Legislature and the governor are trying to come to agreement on what to do with this year's budget surplus. The four major ways they are considering using the money are:
A) spending on transportation, including roads and mass transit;
B) spending on elementary and high school education;
C) reducing vehicle license tab fees;
D) reducing state income taxes.
If it were up to you, what percent would you dedicate to each?"

Date	Transportation	Education	License tab cuts	Income tax cuts	Sample	MoE
March 23-27, 2000	19%	34%	17%	30%	1021	± 3.1

"There are other ways the budget surplus could be used. Which one of these two options would you favor? … Returning some of the surplus to taxpayers this year through rebates and income tax cuts, and spending some of it on education and transportation, OR Keeping most of the surplus to help fund a property tax reform next year?"

Date	Return this year	Save for next year	Return all to taxpayers (vol.)	No opinion	Sample	MoE
March 23-27, 2000	78%	17%	2%	3%	1021	± 3.1

"State government is expecting a surplus of $1.6 billion. Which of these three statements comes closest to your opinion?
A) It's the taxpayers' money and should be returned to them,
B) The surplus should be spent on things that currently are underfunded,
C) Or a combination of the two?"

Date	Returned	Spent	Combination	No opinion	Sample	MoE
January 3-9, 2000	30%	12%	56	2%	1031	± 3.1

"I'm going to read you a list of tax cut proposals that could be paid for from the surplus. Which would you prefer the state legislature do.
A) Lower income tax rates,
B) Lower property tax rates,
C) Lower the sales tax rate."

Date	Income tax	Property tax	Sales tax	All three (vol.)	Other	No opinion	Sample	MoE
January 3-9, 2000	36%	27%	21%	11%	2%	3%	1031	± 3.1

Spending Priorities

"Here's a list of five areas the state Legislature could further cut spending: kindergarten through 12th grade education, the state's colleges and universities, health care, social services such as welfare and job training, the state criminal justice system. Which one of those do you think should be the first to have its budget cut? Which one of those do you think should be the last to have its budget cut?

Area	First to have budget cut	Last to have budget cut
Social services	32%	7%
Criminal justice	26%	7%
Higher education	18%	6%
K-12 education	3%	52%
Health care	3%	20%
Cut none (vol.)	9%	3%
Other (vol.)	1%	0%
No opinion	8%	5%

Poll: March 7-10, 2002
Sample: 823
MoE: ± 3.4

"I now have a short list of public services. Please tell me how important it is to you that the state provide more funding for each one. How about more funding for ..."

Date	Very important	Somewhat important	Not too important	Not at all important	No opinion
Public elementary and secondary schools	63%	21%	9%	5%	2%
Help pay health care and prescription medicine costs for those who cannot afford it	62%	29%	4%	3%	2%
Public safety services such as police, fire protection, and jails	54%	33%	7%	4%	2%
Assistance to help pay nursing home costs or child-care costs	45%	38%	10%	5%	2%
Roads and mass transit	44%	42%	10%	3%	1%
Public universities and colleges	40%	34%	15%	8%	3%
Assistance to people who can't afford the cost of housing	36%	42%	13%	6%	3%

Poll: April 5-11, 2001
Sample: 829
MoE: ± 3.4

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