Majority of Americans favor wealth tax on very rich -Reuters/Ipsos poll
Majority of Americans favor wealth tax on very rich -Reuters/Ipsos poll
Among the 4,441 respondents to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, 64% strongly or somewhat agreed that the very rich should contribute an extra share of their total earnings - the essence of a wealth tax.
Jonah Green has more.
SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN, SAYING: βIt's time for a wealth tax in America.β The idea of imposing a wealth tax on the richest Americans has elicited sharply divergent views across a spectrum of politicians, with President Donald Trump branding it socialist and progressive Democratic presidential contenders Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders prominently endorsing it.
But it may have broad public support, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that found nearly two-thirds of respondents agree that the very rich should pay more.
Sixty-four percent strongly or somewhat agreed that βthe very rich should contribute an extra share of their total wealth each year to support public programs." While support among Democrats was stronger, at 77%, a majority of Republicans, 53%, also agreed with the idea.
Warren and Sanders have touted the idea as a way to help pay for major social programs like Medicare for All and to reverse a stark rise in the share of wealth owned by the very richest Americans, known as the β1 percent.β Asked in the poll if βthe very rich should be allowed to keep the money they have, even if that means increasing inequality,β 54% of respondents disagreed.