HUFFPOLLSTER: Why Americans Support Tax Hikes On The Wealthy

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HUFFPOLLSTER: Why Americans Support Tax Hikes On The Wealthy

by Mark Blumenthal, Ariel Edwards-Levy, Janie Velencia at the Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/05/tax-hikes_n_6620824.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

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BATTLEGROUNDS WANT CHANGE IN DIRECTION, FAVOR TAX HIKE FOR WEALTHY - Quinnipiac University: "President Barack Obama has negative approval ratings in the key swing states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, but voters in each state strongly support his call to raise taxes on the rich to help the middle class, according to a Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll released today. Voters in each state want the next president to 'change direction from Barack Obama's policies,' the independent Quinnipiac University Poll finds." Large majorities say they support rather than oppose "increasing taxes on higher income earners to reduce the amount of taxes paid by the middle class" in Florida (58 to 36 percent), Ohio (61 to 35 percent) and Pennsylvania (62 to 33 percent). [Quinnipiac]

PERCEPTIONS ON WEALTH AND THE TAX SYSTEM HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME - Kathleen Weldon: "Wealth is the eye of the beholder, and Americans give a wide range of figures when asked how much income would make someone rich. Perceptions have changed, however, since early data on the subject. Considering inflation-adjusted figures, Americans in 1996 and 2011 were much more likely to consider those making under approximately $150,000 a year to be rich than were respondents in 1948...Most Americans see the tax system serving the interests of the wealthy. Majorities since the 1980s have agreed that "the present tax system benefits the rich and is unfair to the ordinary working man or woman…It is not then surprising that, when asked whether they support tax increases on the wealthy, the majority have consistently been in favor...Moreover, most Americans do not appear to accept the argument that increased taxes on the wealthy would come at a cost to the economy...Questions which put raising taxes on the wealthy in the context of federal budget deficit reduction draw particularly strong support for increases." [HuffPost]




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