Source:
ReutersAmericans back tax increases in debt fix: Reuters poll
By Kim Dixon and Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON | Wed May 11, 2011 5:39pm EDT
(Reuters) - More than half of Americans say higher taxes should be part of a fix to tame the $14.3 trillion U.S. debt, a Reuters poll released on Wednesday found, signaling a disconnect with Republicans who reject any tax increases.
Fifty-two percent of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll said a combination of spending cuts and tax increases was the best strategy to reduce deficits, dovetailing with other recent surveys.
Republicans have taken higher taxes off the table in negotiations to reduce soaring deficits, while President Barack Obama, a Democrat, favors raising taxes, but only for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.
"We're not going to raise taxes. That was decided in last November's election," Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday. "I think the American people pretty clearly believe that we have the deficit problem because we spend too much, not because we tax too little."
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/11/us-usa-taxes-congress-idUSTRE74A74G20110511