New Survey on Americans’ Opinions of the Tax System
Just five days from the April 17th tax deadline, we’ve released our third annual survey of U.S. opinions about taxes. You can read the full report here, or just browse the topline survey data here.
As you finish filling out your own tax returns, here are a couple of my favorite questions from the survey that explore the value we receive from government services in exchange for our annual tax burdens. Enjoy:
Q605. What is the maximum percentage of a person’s income that should go to taxes – that is, all taxes, state, federal, and local?
2007
2006
2005
Unweighted Base
2,012
2,017
2,013
100%
*
–
–
90% – 99%
*
*
–
80% – 89%
*
*
–
70% – 79%
*
*
–
60% – 69%
*
*
–
50% – 59%
2%
1%
2%
40% – 49%
1%
1%
3%
30% – 39%
6%
6%
7%
20% – 29%
20%
22%
23%
10% – 19%
47%
43%
41%
1% – 9%
22%
24%
20%
0%
2%
1%
3%
MEAN
14.7
15
16
Source: Tax Foundation
Q610. Thinking about all the government services you use during a year – national defense, roads, public schools, food stamps, Social Security, police protection and so on – how much would you say these are worth to you in dollars for one year? That is, how much would you be willing to pay for all the services provided to you by governments for one year?
Total
Unweighted Base
2,012
$0 – 1000
43%
$1001 – 10000
46%
$10001 – 50000
9%
$51000 – 99999
1%
$100000+
1%
MEAN
$7243.80
Source: Tax Foundation
Q615. Considering all government services on the one hand and taxes on the other, which of the following statements comes closest to your view?
Total
Unweighted Base
2,012
Keep taxes and services about where they are
41%
Decrease services and lower taxes
32%
Increase services and raise taxes
8%
Not sure
20%
Source: Tax Foundation
Read the full 12-page summary of the survey here.