Poll Reveals Most Americans Don't Know They Got a Tax Cut

(CBS)

Updated 1:50 p.m. ET

Of all the very information that came out of the recent CBS News/New York Times poll, one question stuck out, that of taxes.

Here's the poll question: "In general, do you think the Obama Administration has increased taxes for most Americans, decreased taxes for most Americans or have they kept taxes the same for most Americans?"

The answer:
• 24 percent of respondents said they INCREASED taxes.
• 53 percent said they kept taxes the same
• And 12 percent said taxes were decreased.

Of people who support the grassroots, "Tea Party" movement, only 2 percent think taxes have been decreased, 46 percent say taxes are the same, and a whopping 44 percent say they believe taxes have gone up.

Those answers must frustrate the president who has highlighted its tax cuts for the middle class in almost every speech.

(CBS, Washingtonpost.com)

In his State of the Union address, President Obama said that as part of their economic recovery, his administration has passed 25 different tax cuts.

"Now, let me repeat: We cut taxes," he said. "We cut taxes for 95 percent of working families. We cut taxes for small businesses. We cut taxes for first-time homebuyers. We cut taxes for parents trying to care for their children. We cut taxes for 8 million Americans paying for college."

In his Super Bowl Sunday interview with Katie Couric, he touted the tax cuts in the stimulus package: "we put $300 billion worth of tax cuts into people's pockets so that there was demand and businesses had customers."

When CBS News' Mark Knoller asked White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs about the poll's findings today, he said simply: "I'd say they called the wrong people."

He went on: "Is it part of the frustration, of course, 95 percent of working people in this country saw their taxes cut last year, but apparently only 12 percent felt it."

Gibbs later said that many Americans may have seen any federal tax cuts offset by an increase in state taxes. "What happens at a federal level and state level, both of those are felt by individuals on the ground," he said.

He went on to say that the tax cuts were structured to achieve the biggest economic impact, namely a smaller dollar amount stretched out over a longer period of time. Gibbs said the White House economic team decided that tax cuts were better for the economy than simply a one-time check of $350 that most people would put into savings rather than spend it. Referencing the poll results, he joked that the selling of the tax cuts could have been done differently -- "obviously, the marketers got kicked out of that meeting."

If so many tax cuts were passed, why have so few Americans actually noticed them?

Possibility 1 – the tax cuts were expansive, but small.

While the majority of the tax cuts, passed last February, affected 95 percent of working families, when they took affect by April of 2009, the monetary value was not too large -- most families saw about $70 more in take home pay every month. Individual workers saw about $13 more a week.

Any tax relief is still relief, but many Americans may not have felt that the tax cuts had much impact.

Possibility 2 – the talk of raising taxes in the future clouded the landscape.

In his 2011 budget, the president has already made it clear that his administration wants to end the Bush–era tax cuts for wealthier families, set to expire next year. So it could be that people see that move as a tax hike already.

Either way, it's another example of White House messaging that isn't reaching through to most Americans.

More on the CBS News/NYT Polls:
Overview of all the New Polls
Poll: Economy Brings Down Obama's Job Approval Rating
Poll: Who Are the Tea Partiers?
Poll: 70 Percent Angry or Dissatisfied with Washington
Support for Gays in the Military Depends on the Question
CBS News Poll Database

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Robert Hendin is a CBS News White House producer. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here.

[HenryMassingale]

So many numbers and so many days have passed, the path is not clear to me on this issue, I do know that any Tax Cut in behalf of the Poor will be sent at the Rich, and the rich will pay more.
I have not read any issues under the forum from the Tea Party, or the Democrat or Republicans, now if I posted such a statement the Tax numbers at 12%. well I just dont remember. I did read from the Federal Data Release on a concept of a 10% tax hike.But it never went forward.
Henry Massingale

[hetal144]

I disagree with your statistic from February 2010 which concluded that 12% of Americans thought the Obama Administration reduced taxes the year before because it is not clear where you got your results from. It was concluded that most Americans don't think they got a tax cut, while 11% don't know. 24% think taxes were raised. It is indicated that the results come from the recent CBS News/New York Times poll of Tea Partiers and their opinions, however, does this mean that the results were not obtained from the actual American population? If so, your statistic is not accurate because it was obtained from mostly Tea Partiers, which does not reflect the views of everyone else. Of the "recent poll" that was linked to the article, 45% of the Tea Partiers were angry with Obama and 46% were dissatisfied, and 9% were enthusiastically satisfied. Therefore, the views of the Tea Party reveal that they are more likely to think that taxes were increased or stayed that same. The article mentions that the Obama Administration did cut taxes the year before, so it is surprising that so many people think taxes were increased or stayed the same. You mention that a majority of Tea Partiers think that taxes have stayed the same, so, if your results are taken from a poll of Tea Partiers, the conclusion that so many Americans are not aware of tax cuts is inaccurate. It would be more accurate to say that a majority of Tea Partiers believe that the Obama Administration did not cut taxes.

[HenryMassingale]

part 1;
Cut Backs,cut backs, and as of yet I do not see one thing Government Officials are willing to do to pitch in to Help with this Economy...I got a Idea, instead of cut backs or Lay Offs...
Welcome to Fasc Concepts of a 10% roll back against Government, City, and County Officials...hey whats good for the Goose is good for the Gander, enjoy...
information found on yahoo/writer unknown, I just added my 2 cents worth in...
The salary of the President is $400,000 per year, including a $50,000 expense allowance.
Presidential Retirement and Maintenance $40,000.00 per year
Former President Clinton will get an annual pension of $151,800 plus up to $150,000 a year to maintain an office and staff. Had Hillary Clinton not been elected to the U.S. Senate, she would have received $20,000 per year as a former First Lady.
Retired Presidents and First Ladies also receive Civil Service protection for 10 years after leaving office. Children of retired Presidents receive protection until they are 16 years old.
The annual salary of each Senator and Representative as of 2006, was $165,200.
The Speaker of the House earned $212,100 during the 109th Congress (January 4, 2005-January 3, 2007) while the Majority and Minority Leaders earned $183,500 (the same as the Leaders in the United States Senate). A cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) increase takes effect annually unless Congress votes to not accept it. Congress has the power to set members' salaries; however, the Twenty-Seventh Amendment prohibits a change in wages from taking effect in the same two-year term in which it is passed into law. 21,000.00 per year
President of the United States
$400,000
Executive Schedule
Level 1: Cabinet-level officials $20,000.00 per year
$196,700
Level II: Deputy secretaries of departments, secretaries of military departments, & heads of major agencies $18,000.00 per year
? $177,000
Level III: Under secretaries of departments & heads of middlelevel agencies $16,000.00 per year
$162,900
Level IV: Assistant secretaries & general counsels of departments, heads of minor agencies, members of certain boards & commissions $15,000.00 pear year
$153,200
Level V: Administrators, commissioners, directors, & members of boards, commissions, or units of agencies $14,000.000 per year
? $143,500

[HenryMassingale]

part 2; Legislative Branch
Vice President of the United States (President of the Senate) $27,000.00
$227,300
Speaker of the House of Representatives $23,000.00
$223,500
President Pro Temp. of the Senate $19,000.00
$193,400
Majority and Minority Leaders - House and Senate $19,000.00
? $193,400
Senators, Representatives, Resident Commissioner of Port. Rico, and Delegates $17,000
$174,000
Comptroller General of the United States $17,000.00
$168,000
Deputy Comptroller General $15,000.00
$154,600
Librarian of Congress $17,000.00
$168,000
Judicial Branch
Justice of the United States
$217,400
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court
$208,100
Judges, U.S. Courts of Appeal
$175,100
Judges, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
$175,100
Judges, U.S. District Courts
$165,200
Judges, United States Claims Court
$165,200
Judges, Court of International Trade
$165,200
Judges, Tax Court of the United States
$165,200
Bankruptcy Judges
$151,984
Magistrate Judges
The =Govenor of New York makes only $1 a year. He makes more money from donation etc.
Who ever wrote the above is being very very dumb and i dare them to say something back.
The Govenor of NY makes 175,000.00 a year. The Gov. of NJ makes the same, however; he only accepts 1$ and donates the rest of his salary. The Govs. of CA, TN, NJ, do not accept their salaries $18,000.00 x 56 = $10,080,000.00 / 10% = $1,008,000.00 per year
56 x 180 000.00 = 10 080 000 Wow a lot of big numbers you all do the math.....
There are 56 total U.S. governors. One for every state, and one for each of the 6 U.S. territories (Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, District of Columbia).
However, one must note that he, like most politicians, make money off other investments. Most politicians are pulling in several hundred thousands of dollars a year, and some over a million. So, as Senator, he's making $169,300 -- but he's making much more than that.
How many senators make up the US Senate - trivia question /questions answer / answers. ... There are 2 for each state and there are 50 states. so 50x2=100! ...
There are 535 Members of Congress: 435 Representatives in the House, usually called Congressmen ...
How Much Do Congressmen Make? 85. rate or flag this page. By dusanotes ... that the lowest paid Congressman who makes $174000 per year could retire with ...
535 x 174 000.00 = 93 090 000 / 10% = $9,300,009,000.00 per year.
1.Health Care for U.S. Congress: Politicians Receive the Country's ...
New healthcare plan to cover all government people (President, Senators, ... leaves office do they lose their federal employee health care or go on cobra like ... Make them pay for their own Health care just as we do if they refuse to ...
public-healthcare-issues.suite101.com/.../health_care_for_the_us_congress - Cached - Similar
$9,300,009,000.00
$1,008,000,000.00
$100,000.00
$16,000.00
$17,000.00
$15,000.00
$17,000.00
$17,000.00
$19,000.00
$19,000.00
$23,000.00
$27,000.00
$14,000.00
$15,000.00
$16,000.00
$10,500,000,000.00 at a rough sum
By Fasc Concept as a part of last phase of the International Boycott Of The Arabic Drug Empire Phase 4

Henry Massingale / FASC Concepts in and for Pay It Forward covers the web post on google Drop by and see why we built a anti crime / war form in a Health Care Reform Concept. To strategically Rebuild America www.fascmovement.mysite.com on google look for page 1 american dream official site

[jaytaylor5555]

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[CFOman]

Folks, this is eyewash, and is at best, incomplete reporting, or at worst, outright deception. Federal tax regulations are such that if one area of taxes are reduced, the total tax collections must remain the same, so another entity is taxed at a greater rate. What the current administration is trying to do is reduce taxes for select groups, such as the middle class. But this will result in increased taxes elsewhere. So, you say, lets stick it to those evil corporations... fine, but the investors are not going to be content with reduced earnings, so the increased taxes merely get passed on to you and I in the form of inflated prices for goods and services. So in the end we just get it "in the end". While it is true, payroll withholding rates were decreased, your withholding is NOT your taxes. You don't know what taxes you pay until you file your final year end return. The REAL question is whether the taxes, as calculated in the federal tax tables were reduced. Do you know? 95% of America has no idea what the tax tables say. Most just figure if they get a refund at year end, they "didn't have to pay taxes" and if they have to send a check to make up the difference they "had to pay more taxes". If you had to write a check every month for your taxes instead of your company witholding it, you would throw a monthly fit (ala those Tea Party "losers" (who GET IT!)). The tax law is complex for a reason... and that is mostly to keep the masses confused. When all is said and done, the ONLY way to lower taxes is by reducing federal spending. Reduced federal spending is NOT part of our current government mentality. It IS the message of those evil Tea-Party people. Until the media really understands the entire tax picture it is difficult to report accurately. It makes it very easy to manipulate the masses and spin the news. We cannot have increased government spending AND reduced taxes. It is a mathmatical impossibility. Some would say, we can if we just run into more deficit, but again, that's just eyewash.

[jacobvk]

There is absolutely nothing within federal tax regulations which stipulates anything even remotely like this. This is why the bush tax cuts have cost the government an estimated $1.7 trillion since enacted and made significant and lasting contributions to the federal deficit and debt. This is why they will go on to cost an additional $3.7 in the next 10 years as well. The cost is reflected in its addition to the debt. Yes Bush's tax cuts alone have so far added $1.7 trillion to the national debt and are, if extended permanently, on track to add an additional $3.7 trillion to the national debt. The obvious reason being that there were no or not sufficient tax increases to offset Bush's tax cuts. The obvious reason for that would be that such offsetting increases are not required by any federal tax regulation.

[jacobvk]

Oh and let's not forget all the republican controlled congresses in recent history which failed to reduce federal spending.

[salome3]

Is there a third possibility? That companies cut the withholding but kept the money, and didn't pass it on to the employees?

[bjo1109]

I noticed the stimulus tax cut. It amounted to 18.86 a month for me, or 9.43 per paycheck. However, taxes increased at the first of 2010 by 6.41. So basically, I net 3.02 more per paycheck. BFD. How much was the cost of living adjustment (which I don't get)? I think, if you consider that, I am making less than last year.

[Timetomarket]

This is not a surprise since many people are paying more payroll taxes in 2010. Lower wage earners that are filing as married will be impacted the most See "Higher Employee Income Tax Withholding in 2010"
http://******/90FN8N

[antoniof123]

I am an accountant I knew I got a tax cut and I still say no one should get a cut we should increase taxes and pay off the debt.

[alanrobisch]

yeah that's the idea take money out of the economy. Better but equally unpopular is to cut govt spending My agency is hiring and spending hand over fist in the midst of a period of lower income. Good for me but seems to be counter intuitive.

[kansas_ken]

"If there were tax cuts, then how come I owe Obama twice as much as I already paid?"

Because you screwed up your withholding?