Bipartisan Majorities in Battlegrounds Back Higher Taxes on Wealthy
New surveys find Democrats and Republicans alike in key states support raising federal taxes on high earners and the ultra-wealthy.
Voters across party lines in battleground states broadly support increasing federal taxes on high-income earners and the very wealthy, according to new survey data released Wednesday — a finding that runs counter to decades of federal tax policy trending in the opposite direction.
The surveys, announced from College Park, Maryland, show majorities of both Democrats and Republicans in competitive states favor higher levies on top earners and the super-rich. The results suggest that public sentiment on taxation diverges sharply from the legislative direction Congress has taken over roughly the past 50 years, during which tax rates on high incomes and large fortunes have generally declined.
Read more SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce Departs the Commission →
The bipartisan nature of the support is notable in an era of deep political polarization, indicating that wealth taxation may represent one of the rare policy areas where the two parties' voter bases share common ground. Battleground states, which typically determine the outcome of national elections, carry particular political weight when gauging the direction of public opinion.
The findings arrive as Congress faces ongoing debates over the future of tax provisions set to expire, making the political landscape around high-income taxation increasingly consequential. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle may face constituent pressure to revisit current tax structures affecting the wealthiest Americans.
Continue reading at Economic News, Trends, Analysis.
