WASHINGTON, March 21 ─ Seventy-four percent of voters nationwide believe Washington should resolve the country's budget issues without raising taxes on energy, according to a new poll conducted by Harris Interactive for API’s “What America is Thinking on Energy Issues” series.

“Higher energy taxes hurt everyone,” said API President and CEO Jack Gerard. “Americans know that driving up energy costs harms families and slows down job creation; a sentiment expressed across every political, age and gender line. Higher energy taxes are not a solution that will solve Washington’s budget problems.”

The telephone poll of 1,000 registered voters also found a strong majority (63 percent) said singling out the oil and natural gas industry for higher taxes—or even just a handful of companies in the industry—is unfair, discriminatory, and bad tax policy. Voters agreed raising taxes on oil and natural gas companies could drive up costs for consumers (69 percent) while killing jobs and hurting the economy (57 percent), according to the poll.

“Singling out specific companies or specific industries for tax increases is discriminatory, unfair, and simply bad public policy,” said Gerard. “Today it’s oil and natural gas, but who’s next? This is not how tax policy should be made. Americans get that raising taxes can increase their costs. We should focus on bringing down costs for energy consumers by approving the Keystone Pipeline, speeding up drilling permits, ending costly and unattainable ethanol mandates, and opening up some of the 83 percent of federal lands and waters that remain off limits.”

API is a national trade association that represents all segments of America’s technology-driven oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 500 members – including large integrated companies, exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms – provide most of the nation’s energy. The industry also supports 9.2 million U.S. jobs and 7.7 percent of the U.S. economy, delivers $85 million a day in revenue to our government, and, since 2000, has invested over $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives.

Methodology The study was conducted March 8 - 17, 2013, by telephone by Harris Interactive on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute among 1,000 registered voters across the country, with a sampling error of +/-3.0 percent. Harris Interactive is one of the world’s leading custom market research firms, known widely for the Harris Poll. For more information, visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

"What America is Thinking on Energy Issues" is a public opinion series provided by API, offering data to inform policy discussions and ensure policymakers and others know Americans' perspectives on key energy issues.

The following data from various demographic groups demonstrate widespread agreement among voters on the issue of energy taxes.

Voters Realize Now Is Not The Time To Raise Energy Taxes – 74% Voters agree: Now is not the time for politicians in Washington to raise energy taxes. They should solve the country's budget issues without hurting consumers and taxpayers. 

                                            Agree            Disagree All Voters                            74%                 21% Republicans                      90%                   7% Independents                    74%                23% Democrats                         64%                29% 18-34                                   75%                23% 35-54                                   74%                23% 55+                                       75%               18% Male                                     73%                24% Female                                75%                17%

Voters Think It’s Unfair – And Bad Policy – To Target The Oil And Natural Gas Industry – 63% Voters agree: Raising taxes only on America's oil and natural gas industry, or just on a handful of companies, as some politicians in Washington have recommended, would be bad tax policy, as well as unfair and discriminatory. 

                                            Agree               Disagree All Voters                            63%                    30% Republicans                      79%                   17% Independents                    62%                   31% Democrats                         51%                   40% 18-34                                   56%                   39% 35-54                                   69%                   28% 55+                                       61%                   30% Male                                     63%                   31% Female                                62%                   29%

Voters See Negative Impact On Consumers – 69% Voters agree: Increasing energy taxes, like taxes on oil and natural gas companies, hurts everyone because those tax increases could drive up energy costs for consumers. 

                                            Agree                Disagree All Voters                            69%                      27% Republicans                      86%                      12% Independents                    68%                      28% Democrats                        52%                       41% 18-34                                  63%                       31% 35-54                                  74%                       23% 55+                                      67%                       28% Male                                    67%                       30% Female                               70%                       23%

Voters Think Raising Taxes On The Oil And Natural Gas Industry Will Kill Jobs Hurt the Economy – 57% Voters agree: Increasing energy taxes, like taxes on oil and natural gas companies, could kill jobs and negatively impact the economy. 

                                            Agree                Disagree All Voters                             57%                     36% Republicans                       72%                     21% Independents                     56%                     40% Democrats                         45%                     46% 18-34                                   56%                     40% 35-54                                   62%                     33% 55+                                       53%                     38% Male                                     55%                     39% Female                                58%                     33%