Tax day has arrived and a new poll reveals more than half of Americans say their federal income taxes are too high.
According to Gallup’s polling, 52% say their federal income tax is “too high,” the most since before the height of the Great Depression. 42% say what they pay is “about right” and 3% said their federal taxes are too low. “The percentage who say their taxes are too high has hovered around 50% since 2003, although the current 52% is up from 46% two years ago,” Rebecca Riffkin notes in the poll.
According to the poll, 54% of respondents think their federal taxes are fair, which is the lowest it has been since 2001, after peaking at 64% in 2003.
When looking at the answer by party, 55% of Democrats said their taxes are “about right” while only 38% of Republicans and 36% of Independents gave that answer. Comparably, 57% of Republicans and 58% of Independents said their taxes are “too high” while only 37% of Democrats thought this.
“The slight increase this year in Americans’ views that their taxes are too high may reflect an actual increase in taxes, either direct or indirect, that has occurred recently,” Riffkin writes. “Specifically, the expiration of the Bush tax cuts increased taxes and eliminated some previous deductions. Upper-income Americans, particularly, may feel their taxes are too high now because their taxes actually may have increased.”
Abby Borovitz