Most in new poll say they pay too much in taxes

Most Americans say they feel they pay too much in taxes, and many believe they receive little value in return, a new poll found.

About two-thirds of taxpayers said they believe their federal income taxes, state sales taxes and local property taxes are too high, according to the poll conducted by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The poll found that about one-third of taxpayers say the value they receive from paying taxes is poor, with less than than 25 percent of respondents saying they receive good value for paying taxes.

“Whether it is local, state, or federal taxes, most people want lower taxes and are skeptical of the value they receive from these taxes,” said David Sterrett, a principal research scientist with the AP-NORC Center. “Many people view these taxes as unfair and believe they are most burdensome on middle-income families.”

About 60 percent of respondents said they believe the federal income tax is unfair, with 59 percent saying the same about local property tax and 52 percent saying the same about state sales tax.

When split along party lines, Republicans are more likely to say federal income taxes and local property taxes are unfair than Democrats. Sixty-five percent of Republicans said federal income taxes were unfair, while about half of Democrats agreed. Sixty-six percent of Republicans and 51 percent of Democrats said the same about local property taxes.

Additionally, 66 percent of taxpayers do not have confidence in how the federal government spends their tax dollars, while 58 percent said the same of state governments.

Overall, most people said they would not want to pay higher taxes even if it meant getting more government services. Half of taxpayers said they wanted to see less federal income taxes for less government services, 43 percent said they wanted to see less state sales tax for less services and 48 percent said the same of local property tax.

Democrats were more likely to say they would pay higher taxes if it meant more government services, with 33 percent saying they would pay more in federal income tax for more services. In contrast, just 4 percent of Republicans said the same.

The poll was conducted among 1,024 adults between Dec. 14-28 and has a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points.