Although news headlines suggest that wealth inequality weighs heavily on the minds of Americans, public opinion polls indicate a general disapproval of a progressive tax system designed to level the playing field. Most survey respondents support very low (even zero) tax rates for the poorest and only modest increases in rates across the range from median to high incomes.

Brian J. Gaines is professor of political science in the Department of Political Science and the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois.
Economic InequalityEconomic PolicyEconomy
Other Independent Review articles by Brian J. Gaines
Spring 2018 Read My Lips: Why Americans Are Proud to Pay Taxes