Poll roundup finds voters consistently support tax hikes to reduce deficit
A slew of 23 recent polls compiled by the website Capital Gains and Games show that Americans overwhelmingly support tax increases as a way to reduce the deficit.
The polls, posted by Bruce Bartlett -- a former official in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush who later became a critic of George W. Bush, span the last several months and suggest that Americans consistently believe deficit reductions should not be achieved by spending cuts alone.
An August 10 Gallup poll cited in the compilation, 66 percent of respondents said they thought the federal debt should be reduced by including income tax increases for upper-income Americans. An August 10 CNN poll yielded similar figures, with 63 percent of respondents saying they think the congressional "super committee" charged with producing a proposal to significantly reduce the deficit should include in their package tax hikes on businesses and higher-income Americans.
The polls compiled reflect similar numbers: the range in support for a deficit reduction plan that includes increases in taxes ranges from 56 percent, per a July Rasmussen poll, to 76 percent, as recorded in an April Gallup survey.
The issue of whether or not tax increases will be included as part of the final deficit reduction package has been the subject of heated debate in recent days, as congressional leadership selects its representatives on the committee.
President Obama has repeatedly expressed his desire for a "grand bargain" that includes both spending cuts and revenue increases. But all six of the Republican lawmakers named to the committee have signed a pledge vowing never to raise taxes - and many Democrats are skeptical that they can be persuaded to change their minds.
