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.
Stupid idiots on this board want to keep taxes on Soros and Steyer low. Can’t fathom why.
They aren’t friends of freedom or the free market.
Hollywood is one of the biggest benefactors of Corporate Welfare, always crying out for tax breaks.
Since most of the rich are Democrats then take their money and let them enjoy their fair share to us
If you’re one of those who not only pay no taxes but get money you never paid in back...you don’t care....in fact it might just fund more goodies for you.
Milton Friedman the greta economist said some to the effect when half the country is on welfare and can vote their own benefits, the country will decline greatly.
Now we have the phenomenon of people being asked to increase the taxes on the wealthy, which is an unprotected majority, except for these who bribe politicians. Of course they will vote yes to raise other people’s taxes.
Conservatives need to fight this regardless of the polls, win or lose. If we do, we’ll be able to say, honestly, “blame the democrats” when they tank the economy. Human nature being what it is, freedom fighters can never rest.
I'd wager that a goodly percentage of those can't spell percent correctly, nevermind define it.
YES!
If they disappeared, will we miss Red Capitalists? I think not.
Wealth and freedom don’t necessarily correlate.
A majority of me supports lowering the top tax rate ultimately to 23 percent, but lowering it to 33 percent for now until the government runs a surplus is fine.
We are sooooo screwed.
You are being the stupid idiot. Google the “entertainment tax” that Hollyweird and pro sports players pay. It is astronomical.
Right. Why should conservatives defend them? Because they’re rich?
Only if Hollywood and pro athletes are not exempt.
POLL: A majority of Americans believe that a majority of polls are full of crap.
The merrier the better. Before you call me stupid idiot, take care to remember they’re all Democrats.
Think corporate welfare. Let’s abolish it first.
Yup. Here’s how to divide their income
70% Taxes
10% Agents
10% Managers
5% Publicist and Union Dues
That leaves them with 5%.
So many people are amazingly stupid. Repeal the 17th Amendment (to stop these maroons from voting for U.S. Senators), as well as the 16th Amendment (to limit types of income that can be taxed), and maybe even the 19th Amendment (in case the hot/crazy matrix is pegged out in some states).
We are soooo screwed.
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