Raising taxes on wealthy individuals is just fine with a large majority of Americans, according to a new poll by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal.

 

When asked about placing a surtax on those earning $1 million or more a year, 81% of respondents said they found this proposal to be “totally” or “mostly” acceptable.

 

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, has said a 5.4% surtax on adjusted gross incomes over $1 million would raise as much as $50 billion a year. He added that it makes sense to pass such a plan because it would be “morally wrong for the United States to balance the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable people in our society while asking nothing from the wealthiest.”

 

The poll also showed solid support for other budget proposals, including eliminating funding for weapons systems the Pentagon doesn’t want (76%); eliminating tax credits for the oil and gas industries (74%); and phasing out the Bush tax cuts for families earning more than $250,000 a year (68%).

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Bernie Sanders Calls for Surtax on Billionaires, End to Breaks for Big Oil (by Bernie Sanders, OpEdNews.com)

Poll Shows Budget-Cuts Dilemma (question 26, Wall Street Journal)