It’s tax season. And you’re not happy about it.
If a new survey from the nonpartisan Pew Research Center is correct, then about 60% of you say the feeling that some wealthy people and corporations don’t pay their fair share bothers you “a lot.” At the other end of the spectrum, 12% say the same about the feeling some poor people don’t pay their fair share.
The proportion of Americans who say they pay more than they should, given what they get from the government, has risen to 60%. That’s up from 56% in 2023, 49% in 2021, and 51% in 2019.
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(I’m not sure what was going on in 2021, but Pew’s numbers show that was a recent high-water mark – 44% – for Americans saying they were paying the right amount. It’s currently 33%.)
Dissatisfaction with taxes has been central to the American identity since before the republic was born. But whether and how this translates to politics in 2026 is tricky. Will this benefit politicians who want to cut taxes or those who want to raise them on the rich and corporations?
This year, Republicans are banking on Americans being happy with larger income tax refunds. But it’s not clear whether that will fully counter unhappiness about the high cost of living, which Democrats say will hand them victory in November’s elections.
Whichever way things shake out in seven months, anger at “the system” has certainly been a powerful force. President Barack Obama rode promises to shake things up into the Oval Office. Then so did President Donald Trump – partly thanks to Obama voters.
The (Inevitable) Partisan Split
Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say they pay more than they should – 66% to 56%. They’re also more likely than Democrats to say the amount they personally pay bothers them “a lot” (47% to 36%).
Democrats are also much more likely than Republicans to say the feeling that some rich folks don’t pay their fair share bothers them “a lot” – 81% to 41%. Same goes when asked about corporate tax bills – 79% to 42%.
One interesting area of agreement: Roughly half of Democrats (52%) and Republicans (53%) say the tax system’s complexity bothers them “a lot.”
More upper-income Republicans say they pay more than their fair share of taxes – 79% – than any other group. But there’s GOP variation by income level: 70% of middle-income Republicans say the same. Ditto for 51% of lower-income GOP adults.
The partisan gap virtually vanishes at the bottom end of incomes: 49% of lower-income Democrats say they pay too much.
The age cohort most likely to say they pay too much? Americans 50-64 years of age, 67% of whom agree with that notion. Least likely? Folks over 65, just 50% of whom echo that complaint.