Senate

CNN poll: Two-thirds say GOP tax bill favors wealthy

Two-thirds of respondents in a new CNN poll say they think the GOP tax overhaul bill expected to be passed this week by the House and Senate will be more beneficial to the wealthy than to the middle class.

Slightly more than one-quarter —  27 percent — said they think it will benefit the middle class.

Along party lines, an overwhelming majority of Democrats — 95 percent — said they think the bill will favor the wealthy, compared to 27 percent of Republicans who said they think the same.

A majority of respondents — 63 percent — also said they think the tax bill will personally benefit the Trump family. When President Trump first pitched tax reform, he insisted that the bill was “not good” for him, personally.

Pollsters also found that the percentage of Americans who say they oppose the GOP tax plan rose 10 points in the past month, to 55 percent. In November, 45 percent of respondents said they opposed the legislation.

The CNN poll of 1,001 respondents, conducted Dec. 14-17, has a margin of error of 3.8 percent.

The final text of the bill was released last Friday, the second day of the CNN poll.

Congress is expected to pass the bill this week and send a version to Trump to sign by Christmas.

Trump and congressional Republicans have touted the tax plan as a “great Christmas gift” for middle-class families, but critics of the plan have said that it will primarily benefit wealthy people and corporations.