ALBANY, N.Y. — A new Siena Poll out shows that most New Yorkers approve of the state temporarily suspending the gas tax, but disapprove spending $600 million towards a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills.
The poll, conducted by the Siena Research Institute at Siena College, was released on Monday.
Seventy three percent of the those surveyed for the poll say they approve of suspending the gas tax in New York. Sixteen percent did not approve.
“For New Yorkers, reducing the gas tax appears to be in the same category as mom and apple pie. At least two-thirds of voters of every demographic group – party, region, age, gender, race, income, religion, ideology – approve of the state suspending its share of the gas tax between June and December,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.
During her budget proposal, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the state would suspend $.16 from its per gallon gas tax from June 1 and through December 31, in an effort to help motorists in New York state deal with the increase of gas prices.
While New Yorkers may approve the temporary suspending of the gas tax, they do not approve of the state spending $600 million to build a new stadium in Orchard Park for the Bills.
“Also uniting voters is their disapproval of the state kicking in $600 million for a new Buffalo Bills stadium. It’s opposed by at least 55% of every demographic group,” Greenberg said.
Sixty three percent of those polled say they disapprove the state contributing $600 million in funds while only 24% approve.
Hochul did not seem surprised that voters in a statewide poll would disapprove of the large amount of taxpayer dollars being expended for what is essentially a project with an impact only in Western New York.
"The billions of dollars we're putting into Penn Station or the East Side Access Tunnel or ways to invest in projects elsewhere, I think if you poll test all of that, except for the immediate beneficiaries of that neighborhood of that community or patrons or fans the answer would probably be the same," said the Governor while visiting Buffalo on Monday.
The projects Hochul raised for comparison though, are hardly the same.
She mentioned transit projects built for public benefit and which the public may access as they need to.
The stadium will mostly be for the exclusive use of the Buffalo Bills and their billionaire owners, who will allow the public in when they say they are allowed, and charge what they will when they do.
You can view the full poll here: