Fewer Americans think their taxes are fair

It's hard to tell whether this is the result of the Democrats pushing the fiction that the wealthy don't pay their "fair share," or whether Americans simply think their taxes are too high.

Politico:

Happy Tax Day -- the lowest percentage of Americans view their federal income tax as fair than at any time in the past decade, a new poll found.

Fifty-five percent of those surveyed say that their federal income tax is fair, the lowest since 2001, according to a Gallup poll released Monday. Forty-two percent say it's not fair, while 3 percent have no opinion.

Gallup noted that the most recent high of Americans viewing taxes as fair came in 2003, after then-President George W. Bush implemented tax cuts weeks after the Iraq War started. Sixty-four percent viewed their federal income tax as fair at the time.

"Perceptions of income tax fairness, perhaps surprisingly, vary little by household income level. Fifty-seven percent of those whose annual household income level is below $75,000 say their taxes are fair, as do 54 percent of those whose income is $75,000 or above," Gallup's Jeffrey M. Jones wrote in the release. "In fact, there are no notable differences by most major demographic groups. The biggest differences are based on political affiliation, with Democrats and political liberals much more likely than Republicans and conservatives to believe their taxes are fair."

Sixty-six percent of Democrats think their income tax is fair, while 32 percent view it as unfair; meanwhile, 49 percent of GOPers think it's fair, with 48 percent of them viewing it as unfair; and 51 percent of independents think it's fair while 49 percent view it as unfair, according to Gallup. The remainder were unsure or did not answer.

Sixty-four percent of Americans think their taxes will increase this year, compared with 53 percent who thought so last year. Thirty-one percent think there will be no change, while the rest think taxes will decrease or weren't sure.

Those who believe their taxes will rise are spot on. Obamacare will raise taxes on everybody. And if the government goes to a chained CPI, many in the Middle Class will pay more than if they left the CPI alone.

Might this be fertile ground for the GOP? Perhaps, but no one in the party has really stepped forward with a concrete plan to cut taxes. Mitt Romney's plan was unrealistic and was shown to increase the deficit. What the GOP needs to do is come up with a plan that will cut taxes without increasing the debt burden. Obviously some loopholes would have to be closed but if the overall effect was lower taxes, growth in the economy would cover any potential deficit.


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