WASHINGTON – Despite the implementation of last year’s tax law, which fulfilled several of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises on taxes, the majority of Americans continue to feel burdened by their tax obligations, according to recent polls.
A new survey conducted by Fox News in late March reveals that public dissatisfaction with taxes has actually intensified compared to the previous year. This growing discontent is occurring against the backdrop of rising inflation and sluggish economic growth, factors that contribute to the financial unease felt by many. Beyond personal tax concerns, there is widespread sentiment that the wealthy and corporations are not contributing their fair share, coupled with anxiety about government overspending.
These sentiments arise following the passage of a significant tax and spending cut bill by Trump and the Republican Party last year. The legislation introduced several tax benefits such as an enhanced child tax credit and new deductions for tips and overtime. While tax refunds have increased this season and many households are expected to benefit financially from these changes, the Congressional Budget Office has projected that the wealthiest Americans will ultimately reap the largest rewards.
Republicans have promoted the tax law as a measure that alleviates financial pressure on working families. However, polling data suggests that many citizens may not be experiencing these advantages, especially as their increased tax refunds are offset by rising costs of living.
According to the Fox News poll, about 70% of registered voters now believe their taxes are “too high,” a noticeable increase from approximately 60% the previous year. This concern is notably pronounced among very liberal voters and Democratic men. However, it also extends to groups that Republicans aim to attract ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, including moderates, rural residents, and white voters without college degrees.
About 7 in 10 registered voters say the taxes they pay are “too high,” according to the Fox News poll. That’s up from about 6 in 10 last year. The poll shows heightened concern among very liberal voters and Democratic men, but there has also been a sizable increase among groups that Republicans want to court ahead of the midterm elections, such as moderates, rural voters and white voters without a college degree.
Discontent about taxes has been rising for the past few years. Recent polling from Gallup, conducted in March, found about 6 in 10 U.S. adults say the amount of federal income tax they have to pay is “too high,” a finding that’s been largely consistent in the annual poll since 2023. That’s approaching the level of unhappiness found in Gallup’s polling from the 1980s through the 1990s, before President George W. Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.
Now, about half of Democrats and about 6 in 10 Republicans say their federal income taxes are too high. Republicans tend to view their tax bill more negatively than Democrats, but Gallup’s polling shows that this gap often shrinks when a Republican is president.
Many believe the rich aren’t paying enough in taxes
Most Americans are troubled by the belief that some wealthy people and corporations don’t pay their fair share of taxes, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in January. About 6 in 10 Americans said each of those notions bothers them “a lot,” a measure that is largely unchanged in recent years.
By contrast, only about 4 in 10 U.S. adults in that poll said the amount they personally pay in taxes bothers them a lot.
About 8 in 10 Democrats are bothered “a lot” by the feeling that some corporations and rich people aren’t paying their fair share, the Pew survey found, compared to about 4 in 10 Republicans. Government spending is a bigger issue for Republicans, according to the Fox News poll, which found that 75% of registered voters — and a similar share of Republican voters — say “almost all” or “a great deal” of government funding is wasteful and inefficient.
That points to a perception problem for many Americans. Even if their own tax bill is manageable, the idea that the wealthy are underpaying — or that the government is wasting their dollars — bothers many. About half of Americans, 49%, in the Gallup poll say the income tax they will pay this year is “not fair,” which is in line with the record high from 2023.
Broad unhappiness with Trump’s tax approach
Americans’ tax frustration was rising before Trump re-entered the White House, but it’s still a problem for the president’s party — especially if Americans are not feeling the relief that he promised.
The Fox News poll found that about 6 in 10 registered voters, 64%, say they disapprove of how Trump is handling taxes, up from 53% last April. Disapproval has risen most sharply among independents, but also among Democrats and Republicans.
This aligns with a broader feeling that Trump isn’t doing enough to address inflation. Most Americans said Trump had hurt the cost of living “a lot” or “a little” in his second term, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in January. Roughly 9 in 10 Democrats and about 6 in 10 independents said Trump has had a negative impact on the cost of living.
Less than half of Republicans, 43%, said Trump had helped the cost of living, while 33% said he hadn’t made a difference and only 23% said he’d helped.
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The Fox News poll was conducted among 1,001 registered voters from March 20-23. The Gallup poll was conducted among 1,000 U.S. adults from March 2-18. The Pew Research Center poll was conducted among 8,512 U.S. adults from Jan. 20-26. The AP-NORC Poll was conducted among 1,203 U.S. adults from Jan 8-11.
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