Time May Be Right to Talk Raising Taxes

In poll, less than half of Americans say they pay too much

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 7, 2009 9:51 AM CDT

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Time May Be Right to Talk Raising Taxes — In this July 24, 2009 file photo, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner talks about the country's economic and financial health while testifying before the House Financial Services Committee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

If the administration must raise taxes, now could be its big chance, NPR reports. Only 46% of Americans in a recent Gallup poll said their taxes were too high—the smallest fraction since 1961. “Americans, relatively speaking, are more satisfied with the amount of taxes they pay than they have been at most other times in history," said a pollster. "Some people might say now's the time to pounce.”

Tim Geithner hasn’t ruled out a middle-class tax hike: “If we want an economy that's going to grow in the future, we have to bring those deficits down,” the treasury secretary told This Week. But the White House press secretary said taxes wouldn’t climb for anyone making less than $250,000. Still, that’s “telling people what they want to hear, rather than what they need to hear,” says an expert.
(More tax hikes stories.)

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