Some interesting insight in this poll, on what America thinks about taxes (and remember, about a third of Americans don't pay income taxes now - keep that in mind as you read).
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47% Say Taxing Top Income Americans is Good for U.S. Economy
rasmussenreports.com Mon Oct 13, 11:33 AM ET
A plurality of voters (47%) say Barack Obama's plan to raise taxes on those who earn over $250,000 a year is good for the troubled U.S. economy, even though 51% still believe that lower taxes are the best way to spur economic growth.
Thirty-one percent (31%) disagree with Obama's proposal, saying raising taxes on these upper-income earners will be bad for the economy, but 16% say the proposal will have no impact, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
Just 10% think higher taxes are the best way to grow the economy, while 29% say taxes should stay the same.
Tax cuts are expected to be center stage in Wednesday night's final presidential debate.
Given the bad economic news of the last several weeks, voters are fairly evenly divided on what is best to help the economy, cutting taxes or getting the government more involved. Forty-four percent (44%) like more government; 41% prefer cutting taxes. The rest are undecided.
Men support Obama's plan to raise taxes on upper-income earners by just four points, but women favor it more than two-to-one.
Only 19% of Republicans think it's a good idea, compared to 70% of Democrats. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of GOP voters oppose the tax hike for those earning more than $250,000, versus just 11% of Democrats. Unaffiliated voters like the proposal 47% to 26%.
In an effort to get himself back in the presidential race, John McCain is expected to increasingly emphasize his differences with Obama on taxes. McCain favors cutting the corporate tax rate and making permanent tax cuts championed by President Bush that are set to expire in 2010. He argues that lower taxes across all income groups are better for the economy. Upper-income earners shouldn't be penalized, McCain argues, because they invest more and create jobs.
Obama insists on the campaign trail and in a wave of television advertising nationwide that he will not raise taxes on any American earning under a quarter-million dollars a year. He contends those that earn more should pay more.
Nationally, Obama has opened a stable lead over McCain in both the Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll and the Electoral College projections.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).
Forty-eight percent (48%) of voters say raising capital gains taxes would be bad for the economy. Twenty-six percent (26%) think it would be a good move, and 16% say it would have no impact.
Thirty-five percent (35%) also say the stock market will go down if taxes are raised on capital gains, but 22% think the market would rise. The same number (22%) also think increasing those taxes would have no impact.
On both questions, GOP voters are far warier of increasing the taxes than are Democrats. Seventy-four percent (74%) of Republicans say raising capital gains taxes would be bad for the economy, but just 25% of Democrats agree. Forty percent (40%) of Democrats think it's a good idea. Unaffiliated voters say it's a bad move by slightly more than two-to-one.
Both Republicans and unaffiliated voters by double-digit margins say raising capital gains taxes will lower the stock market, but Democrats believe that by only four points.
In a survey after the first presidential debate on September 26, voters said they trusted Obama on all 10 major issues tracked by Rasmussen Reports, including taxes. Voters are evenly divided on which candidate they trust more on taxes, a problem for McCain since Republicans historically have benefited at the polls from their reputation as tax-cutters.
Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters say the economy is the most important voting issue this year. But voters by sizable majorities also worry that the government will get too involved in the crumbling housing market which is at the center of the country's current economic woes.
Consumer and investor confidence rebounded slightly on Monday, but last week the Rasmussen Investor Index and the Rasmussen Consumer Index hit their lowest levels in history.
This telephone survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on October 12, 2008. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.
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47% Say Taxing Top Income Americans is Good for U.S. Economy
rasmussenreports.com Mon Oct 13, 11:33 AM ET
A plurality of voters (47%) say Barack Obama's plan to raise taxes on those who earn over $250,000 a year is good for the troubled U.S. economy, even though 51% still believe that lower taxes are the best way to spur economic growth.
Thirty-one percent (31%) disagree with Obama's proposal, saying raising taxes on these upper-income earners will be bad for the economy, but 16% say the proposal will have no impact, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
Just 10% think higher taxes are the best way to grow the economy, while 29% say taxes should stay the same.
Tax cuts are expected to be center stage in Wednesday night's final presidential debate.
Given the bad economic news of the last several weeks, voters are fairly evenly divided on what is best to help the economy, cutting taxes or getting the government more involved. Forty-four percent (44%) like more government; 41% prefer cutting taxes. The rest are undecided.
Men support Obama's plan to raise taxes on upper-income earners by just four points, but women favor it more than two-to-one.
Only 19% of Republicans think it's a good idea, compared to 70% of Democrats. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of GOP voters oppose the tax hike for those earning more than $250,000, versus just 11% of Democrats. Unaffiliated voters like the proposal 47% to 26%.
In an effort to get himself back in the presidential race, John McCain is expected to increasingly emphasize his differences with Obama on taxes. McCain favors cutting the corporate tax rate and making permanent tax cuts championed by President Bush that are set to expire in 2010. He argues that lower taxes across all income groups are better for the economy. Upper-income earners shouldn't be penalized, McCain argues, because they invest more and create jobs.
Obama insists on the campaign trail and in a wave of television advertising nationwide that he will not raise taxes on any American earning under a quarter-million dollars a year. He contends those that earn more should pay more.
Nationally, Obama has opened a stable lead over McCain in both the Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll and the Electoral College projections.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).
Forty-eight percent (48%) of voters say raising capital gains taxes would be bad for the economy. Twenty-six percent (26%) think it would be a good move, and 16% say it would have no impact.
Thirty-five percent (35%) also say the stock market will go down if taxes are raised on capital gains, but 22% think the market would rise. The same number (22%) also think increasing those taxes would have no impact.
On both questions, GOP voters are far warier of increasing the taxes than are Democrats. Seventy-four percent (74%) of Republicans say raising capital gains taxes would be bad for the economy, but just 25% of Democrats agree. Forty percent (40%) of Democrats think it's a good idea. Unaffiliated voters say it's a bad move by slightly more than two-to-one.
Both Republicans and unaffiliated voters by double-digit margins say raising capital gains taxes will lower the stock market, but Democrats believe that by only four points.
In a survey after the first presidential debate on September 26, voters said they trusted Obama on all 10 major issues tracked by Rasmussen Reports, including taxes. Voters are evenly divided on which candidate they trust more on taxes, a problem for McCain since Republicans historically have benefited at the polls from their reputation as tax-cutters.
Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters say the economy is the most important voting issue this year. But voters by sizable majorities also worry that the government will get too involved in the crumbling housing market which is at the center of the country's current economic woes.
Consumer and investor confidence rebounded slightly on Monday, but last week the Rasmussen Investor Index and the Rasmussen Consumer Index hit their lowest levels in history.
This telephone survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports on October 12, 2008. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.
