Gallup: Majority thinks taxes are fair

A slim majority of people in the U.S. think the amount of taxes they pay is fair, according to Gallup.

{mosads}The polling company found that 54 percent of adults think their bill from the government is fair, down from 55 percent last year. Around 4 in 10 don’t think the amount they pay is fair.

The number of people who think their taxes are reasonable has also dropped sharply in recent years. This year’s 54 percent figure is the lowest since 2001, and down a full 10 percentage points from the recent high of 64 percent in 2003.

Democrats and low- and middle-income taxpayers were also the most likely not to take issue with what they owe the government. 

Roughly 7 in 10 Democrats thought their tax bill was reasonable, as did about 6 in 10 taxpayers who made under $75,000 a year.

Around half of political independents felt that way, while Republicans and independents were slightly more likely to say their tax bill was unfair. Democrats have also grown more likely to say their taxes are reasonable over the past eight years, while Republicans are less apt to say that.

While a slim majority of those polled said their taxes are fair, a similar percentage of adults, 52 percent, also believe they pay too much, Gallup said.

That figure has been around 50 percent for the last decade or so, the polling company said, though it’s also risen from 46 percent two years ago. In general, though, adults have grown less likely to say they pay too much since the tax cuts enacted during former President George W. Bush’s first term.