(Gabriella Demczuk/Getty Images)

Seventy percent of Washingtonians are in favor of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s proposal to increase the sales tax from 5.75 percent to 6 percent, according to a poll conducted on behalf of the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute.

The additional revenue would go toward Bowser’s initiatives on ending homelessness in the city. While opponents of the measure say the burden will disproportionately fall on the poor, proponents—including DCFPI—believe the tax is necessary to make a dent in the housing crisis.

Although the sales tax increase has become a contentious issue on the D.C. Council—Jack Evans stripped it from the budget, though it could very well make its way back in—only 31 percent of people surveyed had even heard of the proposal.

The poll noted that the rate would put D.C.’s sales tax back in line with Maryland and Virginia and told respondents that it “was proposed to address a budget shortfall, and will help to support and enhance programs such as education, public safety, affordable housing, and homeless shelters.”

Just more than half of residents said they approve of the job that the mayor is doing, while 21 percent disapprove and 27 percent weren’t sure, the survey also found.

The poll of 674 registered D.C. voters was conducted on May 18-19 and has a 4 percent margin of error.