U.S. Public Opinion and Increased Taxes on the Rich

The Joe Biden White House and Democrats in Congress are focused on increasing taxes on those with high incomes to help fund a sweeping legislative agenda. The majority of Americans, public opinion data show, favor the concept of higher taxes on the wealthy -- a fact of which the White House and Democrats in Congress are well aware. As White House Senior Adviser Anita Dunn wrote in a memo for her White House associates, "The President believes that we need to restore basic fairness to the tax code, and in the process generate revenues to invest in our competitiveness, children, and economy. And, the American people agree."

I entitled my review of Gallup data a couple of years ago "Americans' Long-Standing Interest in Taxing the Rich." Pew Research recently summarized its data: "Far more Americans continue to say they are bothered 'a lot' by the feeling that some corporations and wealthy people do not pay their fair share of taxes than by the complexity of the tax system or even the amount they pay in taxes."