Posted on 01/15/2019 6:03:03 PM PST by TigerClaws
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and her Republican critics have both called her proposal to dramatically increase America's highest tax rate "radical" but a new poll released Tuesday indicates that a majority of Americans agrees with the idea.
In the latest The Hill-HarrisX survey — conducted Jan. 12 and 13 after the newly elected congresswoman called for the U.S. to raise its highest tax rate to 70 percent — a sizable majority of registered voters, 59 percent, supports the concept.
Ocasio-Cortez has not introduced any legislation to enact the concept but the survey shows a broad cross-section of Americans supports it, at least presently.
Women support the idea by a 62-38 percent margin. A majority of men back it as well, 55 percent to 45 percent. The proposal is popular in all regions of the country with a majority of Southerners backing it by a 57 to 43 percent margin. Rural voters back it as well, 56 percent to 44 percent.
Increasing the highest tax bracket to 70 percent garners a surprising amount of support among Republican voters. In the Hill-HarrisX poll, 45 percent of GOP voters say they favor it while 55 percent are opposed to it.
Independent voters who were contacted backed the tax idea by a 60 to 40 percent margin while Democratic ones favored it, 71 percent to 29 percent.
Ocasio-Cortez is among a group of progressive legislators which includes Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) who have called for increasing federal income tax rates on wealthier Americans. The New York Democrat kicked off a debate within her party in a Jan. 6 interview with "60 Minutes" during which she said she would support setting the highest tax, which she said would kick in at individuals 10 millionth dollar of income, at 70 percent.
In her comments to the CBS show, Ocasio-Cortez referenced tax rates that had once been in place during the mid-20th century. During the 1950s and 60s, the wealthiest Americans were once taxed at a rate in excess of 90 percent.
"That doesn't mean all $10 million are taxed at an extremely high rate, but it means that as you climb up this ladder you should be contributing more," she said.
The proposal has been met with both criticism and acceptance within the Democratic party. Republicans and conservative commentators have been universally critical, some incorrectly implying that the congresswoman wants to tax all income of the richest Americans at 70 percent.
The latest Hill-HarrisX poll was conducted online among a demographically representative sample of registered voters and has a sampling margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
[ POLL: A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SUPPORT RAISING THE TOP TAX RATE TO 70 PERCENT ]
Not this American.
But I am Russian bot.
Unbelievable
On the rich?
They’re Democrats. Time for them to pay their fair share.
NFL Players hardest hit.
Time for Hollywood to pay their fair share.
Ask the same questions with the promise that if tax rates rise above certain limits, jobs will disappear. Those owning businesses are not going to just give up their wealth without making adjustments.
Complete, total nonsense. Online poll.
George Soros and Tom Steyer hardest hit.
Mention that everybody’s tax rates will also increase, not just the top earners, and suddenly, nobody would support raising the top rate to 70%, or anybody’s rate.
“Tax ny boss more! He gets all his money from me!”
Where will he get the money to pay these new taxes?
“Crickets”
I’ll call it BS!! YOU CAN NOT TRUST NOTHING COMING OUT OF THE MEDIAVOMITS and POLLSTER PUKES!! Trust nothing!!!
Cut all taxes.
All government is too big, too intrusive and too expensive.
Because polling.
I called bullshit. That’s the kind a pole that calls everyone on welfare that doesn’t pay a goddamn dime and ask
The dangers of democracy in clear view: Just what the framers loathed.
How heavy was the Dems oversampled?
I could support such a law if it only applied to those who vote Rat.
Sure they do! Get lost with your online poll.
70% Federal?
As many have said, Federal isn’t the end of it.
After Federal, there’s State and local taxes.
In New York City, that’s another 13%, which leaves only 17% of the original 100%... and there’s still real estate tax and sales tax to be paid.
This is really a “jealousy cap” proposal to make sure no one makes outsize amounts of income.
What they really want... what this is the opening salvo for.. is a direct asset tax on wealth (other than real estate).
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