Tax Poll: Most Americans Say Tax Code Is Too Complicated

As the April 15 deadline for filing tax returns approaches, two-thirds of Americans believe the tax system is too complicated and a majority say they pay their fair share or more in taxes.

A Quinnipiac University poll of 1,711 registered voters released Thursday found that 64 percent of respondents believe their tax returns are too confusing to figure out on their own and they end up hiring someone to prepare them.

When asked whether or not they believe they pay their fair share of income taxes, 57 percent said they do and 36 percent said they pay more than their fair share.

The survey, conducted March 26 to April 1, also found that when voters were asked about particular income groups, 55 percent of respondents said the rich pay less than their fair share, 50 percent said middle-income earners pay more than a fair share, and 35 percent also said lower-income earners pay more as well.

According to the poll, 47 percent of voters believe it would be a “good idea” if there were lower tax rates and fewer deductions, with 29 percent saying they would pay more in taxes if most deductions were eliminated. Forty-one percent said it would not change how much they currently pay.

More than half of Republicans, 56 percent to 27 percent, support simplifying the tax code with lower rates and fewer deductions, while 43 percent to 41 percent of Democrats, and 45 percent to 36 percent of independents support the same tax reforms.

A large majority of voters, Democrats and Republicans alike, voice support for closing tax loopholes for higher tax brackets by a margin of 71 percent to 21 percent. Interestingly, 62 percent of Republican respondents said they support closing loopholes, something GOP leaders have balked at.