74% Say They Should Pay No More Than 20% of Their Income in Taxes
While a majority of U.S. Voters says the average American shells out 30% or more of their income in taxes, most believe they should pay no more than 20%.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of Likely Voters say, when thinking about all federal, state and local taxes, the average American pays 30% or more of their income in taxes. Thirty percent (30%) believes the average American pays 20%, while 10% say they pay 10% of their income in taxes. These findings show little change from early April of last year. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
When asked what the average American should pay in taxes, 74% of voters say they should pay no more than 20% of their income. Only 19% think the American taxpayer should dish out 30% or more. These findings, too, show little change from April 2010.
According to www.taxfoundation.org, it's estimate that Americans pay 28% of their total income in taxes.
Roughly two-out-of-three voters (64%) think Americans are overtaxed, and nearly as many say any federal tax increase should be subject to a vote by the American people.
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on April 3-4, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
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