# Poll: Most Americans say the rich don't pay enough in taxes

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-most-americans-say-the-rich-dont-pay-enough-in-taxes/632851>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [August 27, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-most-americans-say-the-rich-dont-pay-enough-in-taxes/632851 "2012-08-27T20:11:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-most-americans-say-the-rich-dont-pay-enough-in-taxes/632851/61 "2012-09-05T14:35:19Z")

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> [@Crafter\_Man](#):
>
> For me, a more interesting question would be this: “_ **Why** _ do you want taxes to be raised on the rich?”
> 
> Some people will mumble something along the lines of, “To more quickly pay down our national debt” or “to decrease our deficit.” The problem with this is twofold:
> 
> 1. It assumes more revenue to the government = lower yearly deficit. History would suggest this is false. When the government receives more revenue, it is _spent_.
> 
> 2. It ignores the negative impact to the economy. A higher tax rate can actually decrease revenue to the government.
> 
> But I don’t even think most people think it through to that point. They just want taxes raised on the rich out of envy. “Stick it to the man” and all that stuff.

Regarding to your second item, the key word is “can”. If there was any serious proposal to raise taxes to very high marginal rates it would be a point worth discussing. The most extreme rates increase proposed is to just repeal the Bush tax cut, returning the rate to the Clinton level. History shows that doesn’t decrease revenue.

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