As New Mexico’s lawmakers debate options for solving the state’s budget deficit, a new poll has found that most voters across party lines support raising taxes to address state budget problems and are against making cuts to public school spending or Medicaid.
The survey found that 72% of New Mexico voters oppose reducing funding for public education to address the state’s budget shortfall. The majority of Republicans, Democrats and independents indicated they “strongly” oppose reducing school funding.
Two-thirds of the voters surveyed also oppose reducing Medicaid services, including 74% of Democrats and 57% of Republicans. The vast majority of those surveyed – over 80% - rated Medicaid as being either “important” or “very important” to New Mexico residents. Medicaid is the public health insurance program for low-income children, adults, seniors and people with disabilities.
Meanwhile, 71% of voters either support or are neutral to increasing taxes on households earning more than $200,000 a year.
Two-thirds of registered voters (66%) support raising taxes for alcohol and tobacco products while only 19% oppose it. Across party affiliation, 70% of Republicans, 64% of Democrats and 64% of Independents support these taxes.
The majority of voters are also unopposed to charging sales tax on internet sales or stopping corporate tax cuts that are being phased in every year through 2018.
The State Legislature and Governor have been grappling with significant budget deficits over the past year that led to major spending reductions for public schools, cuts to most state agencies, and a Medicaid shortfall that lost federal matching funds and forced reductions in payments for healthcare providers.
The current fiscal year is projected to end with a $69 million budget shortfall, and the State will continue to face a deficit for the upcoming fiscal year if more revenues are not raised.
Edward Tabet-Cubero, executive director of the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, states "Our hard working families are paying for the budget crisis with thousands of lost jobs, schools that are insufficiently funded, and serious challenges with finding healthcare providers. This survey demonstrates strong public opinion that the solution to this crisis should not come in the form of more cuts.”
Governor Susana Martinez has proposed reducing take-home pay by 3.5% for teachers and other state employees and extending spending reductions adopted last October for most state agencies, including K-12 schools. Her proposal also takes $120 million from public school reserve funds that are normally set aside to help meet fluctuating enrollment demands. The Governor has opposed raising taxes.
Now it appears that the legislature too, is considering further cuts to education and human services.
Tabet-Cubero says, “Our policymakers should listen to the views of New Mexicans who support fair tax solutions. The longer we wait to raise revenues for highly valued programs, the more damage is being done.”
The poll was conducted by Research & Polling, Inc. and surveyed 402 registered voters statewide. Given the prevalence of cell phone users, 50% of the interviews were completed among registered voters via cell phone.
Poll Finds New Mexicans Support Raising Taxes, Reject Cuts to Schools and Medicaid
