Study: Majority of Americans Support Wealth Tax on Very Rich
2020-01-20
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1The idea of setting up a wealth tax to target the richest Americans has created a lot of debate in the United States.
2President Donald Trump calls it socialism.
3But Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have expressed support for the idea.
4Both senators are seeking the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.
5And many Americans seem to agree with calls for a wealth tax.
6A new survey found that nearly two-thirds of those questioned said the very rich should pay more.
7Researchers questioned over 4,400 people.
8Nearly 64 percent agreed with the statement that "the very rich should contribute an extra share of their total wealth each year to support public programs."
9Support for the idea among people who identified themselves as Democrats was strong, at 77 percent.
10A majority of those allied with Trump's Republican Party, 53 percent, also agreed with the idea.
11A wealth tax is based on how much money an individual has as well as shares of stock, bonds and other investments, including land.
12It is separate from an income tax, which taxes wages, as well as interest and dividends from investments.
13In the Reuters/Ipsos poll, people were asked if "the very rich should be allowed to keep the money they have, even if that means increasing inequality."
14More than half of those questioned, 54 percent of people, disagreed with that statement.
15"Rich people have a right to (spend) their money...worldwide cruises or whatever," said Esin Zimmerman of Madison, Minnesota.
16She is a lifelong member of the Republican party who wants higher taxes for the wealthy.
17"That money could be used in other ways that help people," she noted.
18Zimmerman said she would support a wealth tax that would help pay for government programs for former armed forces members, or help single parents with young children.
19The poll results may show how the economic changes of the past 20 years, from globalization to the financial crisis, have shaped ideas about economic policy.
20Another poll showed that worries about the rich paying too little decreased through the 1990s and early 2000s when the country was doing well economically.
21But since the crisis years of 2007 to 2009, worries about uncontrolled wealth have risen from 55 percent to more than 60 percent.
22The Reuters/Ipsos poll results show there may be an even stronger support for a yearly tax on total wealth, not just income.
23Senators Warren and Sanders have spoken up for the idea as a way to help pay for large social programs.
24They also believe it is a way to end the continued rise in the amount of wealth held by the richest Americans.
25The poll also points to changing ideas about "keeping what you earn."
26That idea got a lot of criticism. About 35 percent of Republicans disagreed with the statement, as did 71 percent of Democrats.
27About 56 percent of Republicans agreed that the very rich should keep what they earn without considering inequality.
28Reporters working for Reuters contacted some of the Republicans who answered questions.
29They said they did not think a wealth tax conflicted with their party beliefs or their support for President Trump.
30Kathy Herron is a Republican who lives in Santa Rosa, California.
31She said she supports Trump for his policies on illegal immigration.
32She believes he should support higher taxes on rich Americans.
33"We are taxed from one end to the other, and it just seems the rich don't pay their share," she said.
34I'm Susan Shand.
1The idea of setting up a wealth tax to target the richest Americans has created a lot of debate in the United States. 2President Donald Trump calls it socialism. But Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have expressed support for the idea. Both senators are seeking the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. 3And many Americans seem to agree with calls for a wealth tax. A new survey found that nearly two-thirds of those questioned said the very rich should pay more. 4Researchers questioned over 4,400 people. Nearly 64 percent agreed with the statement that "the very rich should contribute an extra share of their total wealth each year to support public programs." 5Support for the idea among people who identified themselves as Democrats was strong, at 77 percent. A majority of those allied with Trump's Republican Party, 53 percent, also agreed with the idea. 6A wealth tax is based on how much money an individual has as well as shares of stock, bonds and other investments, including land. It is separate from an income tax, which taxes wages, as well as interest and dividends from investments. 7In the Reuters/Ipsos poll, people were asked if "the very rich should be allowed to keep the money they have, even if that means increasing inequality." More than half of those questioned, 54 percent of people, disagreed with that statement. 8"Rich people have a right to (spend) their money...worldwide cruises or whatever," said Esin Zimmerman of Madison, Minnesota. She is a lifelong member of the Republican party who wants higher taxes for the wealthy. "That money could be used in other ways that help people," she noted. 9Zimmerman said she would support a wealth tax that would help pay for government programs for former armed forces members, or help single parents with young children. 10The poll results may show how the economic changes of the past 20 years, from globalization to the financial crisis, have shaped ideas about economic policy. 11Another poll showed that worries about the rich paying too little decreased through the 1990s and early 2000s when the country was doing well economically. 12But since the crisis years of 2007 to 2009, worries about uncontrolled wealth have risen from 55 percent to more than 60 percent. 13The Reuters/Ipsos poll results show there may be an even stronger support for a yearly tax on total wealth, not just income. Senators Warren and Sanders have spoken up for the idea as a way to help pay for large social programs. They also believe it is a way to end the continued rise in the amount of wealth held by the richest Americans. 14The poll also points to changing ideas about "keeping what you earn." 15That idea got a lot of criticism. About 35 percent of Republicans disagreed with the statement, as did 71 percent of Democrats. About 56 percent of Republicans agreed that the very rich should keep what they earn without considering inequality. 16Reporters working for Reuters contacted some of the Republicans who answered questions. They said they did not think a wealth tax conflicted with their party beliefs or their support for President Trump. 17Kathy Herron is a Republican who lives in Santa Rosa, California. She said she supports Trump for his policies on illegal immigration. She believes he should support higher taxes on rich Americans. "We are taxed from one end to the other, and it just seems the rich don't pay their share," she said. 18I'm Susan Shand. 19The Reuters News Agency reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 20Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. 21________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23survey - n. a public opinion study; questioning people to understand societies changing opinions 24stock - n. a share of the value of a company which can be bought, sold, or traded as an investment 25bond - n. a document in which a government or company promises to pay back an amount of money that it has borrowed and to pay interest for the borrowed money 26cruise - n. traveling by ship for pleasure 27globalization - n. the process of connecting businesses and technology around the world