A poll shows that two-thirds of Americans think it's time for a wealth tax to fight inequality
Support for a wealth tax to combat persistent inequality in the U.S. is growing, according to a new poll released Wednesday by TheHill/HarrisX which found that just over two-thirds of Americans favor a tax on the wealthiest households.
Sixty-seven percent of respondents—including majorities of Democrats and Independents—said there should be a wealth tax on billionaires, as Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have proposed.
A clear majority of Democrats, 85%, backed the proposal, along with 66% of independent voters. Nearly half of Republican respondents—47%—said they would support a wealth tax in the poll, which was conducted between February 23 and 24 among more than 1,000 registered voters and had a margin of error of 3%.
The survey showed that, increasingly, "Americans are ready for a revolution," tweeted Alejo Gonzalez, a labor organizer.
@JoeBiden Americans are ready for a revolution - a massive change to how we run this country. Rich people have profited enough. https://t.co/W4PEKmHOVI
— Alejo González (@thedonAlejo) February 27, 2020
The survey was released a month after Reuters/Ipsos reported similar findings in another poll, which showed 64% of Americans supported a wealth tax.
The Hill/HarrisX found similar support for Warren's proposed wealth tax a year ago, soon after the senator released her plan to impose a 2% tax on wealth over $50 million and a 3% tax on assets over $1 billion.
Last September, Sanders detailed his proposal to impose a 1% tax on wealth between $32 and $50 million, with the rate progressively increasing on richer Americans.
The two senators have said revenue from their wealth taxes would go to funding universal childcare programs, Medicare for All, and tuition-free public college—all of which a majority of Americans have also been shown to support.
This article was originally published by Common Dreams and written by Julia Conley.
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Julia Conley, Khareem Sudlow
