Although Republican leaders have called President Obama’s proposal to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans “class warfare,” poll data shows that the majority of Americans support that proposal – and most of the other initiatives in Obama’s jobs plan.
According to a USA Today/Gallup poll released on Tuesday, Americans generally support raising taxes on rich Americans and eliminating tax deductions for some corporations in order to pay for Obama’s American Jobs Act. Seventy percent of Americans favor eliminating deductions for corporations, and 66 percent support increasing income taxes on individuals earning at least $200,000.
But while Democrats strongly favor both proposals, poll results show that a slight majority of Republicans disagree. Fifty-three percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents support eliminating corporate tax deductions, while 41 percent favor raising taxes on America’s wealthiest.
In general, both Democrats and Republicans also favor a number of the job-creation proposals included in Obama’s plan, particularly tax cuts for small business; additional funds for hiring teachers, police officers, and firefighters; and tax breaks for corporations to hire the long-term unemployed.
Obama sent his jobs bill to Congress on Sept. 12, but there are no signs yet as to when the House and Senate will begin to debate the bill.
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