skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Federal judge blocks AZ law that 'disenfranchised' Native voters; government shutdown could cost U.S. travel economy about $1 Billion per week; WA group brings 'Alternatives to Violence' to secondary students.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Senator Robert Menendez offers explanations on the money found in his home, non-partisan groups urge Congress to avert a government shutdown and a Nevada organization works to build Latino political engagement.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

An Indigenous project in South Dakota seeks to protect tribal data sovereignty, advocates in North Carolina are pushing back against attacks on public schools, and Arkansas wants the hungriest to have access to more fruits and veggies.

Poll: Rural Voter Majority Supports Tax Increases on Wealthy

play audio
Play

Wednesday, July 7, 2021   

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The latest poll by Americans for Tax Fairness found rural voters overwhelmingly support the idea of corporations and the wealthy paying more taxes, or as it's often put, "their fair share."

The American Jobs Plan includes several tax-code changes for only the highest-income Americans, many of whom now pay little or no tax. It would increase the personal income tax rate from 37% to 39.6% for those with annual incomes above $452,000, and change how capital gains and stock dividends are taxed for millionaires.

Dr. Jessie Ice, executive director of West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, believes the changes would raise enough to support major investments in health care, infrastructure, clean energy and education.

"If corporations paid their fair share in taxes, our nation could afford to pay for programs that help working families struggling to make ends meet every day," Ice asserted.

According to the poll, 63% of rural voters support raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations in general, 59% support raising them on those earning more than $400,000 a year, and 55% support raising the corporate tax rate to 28%.

Kelly Allen, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, pointed to research from ProPublica, which showed the 25 richest Americans saw their net worth rise a collective $400 billion between 2014 and 2018.

During those years, she noted, they paid a tax rate of 3.4%, far below even the lowest federal tax bracket.

Allen said the poll highlights the nation's two-tiered tax system.

"One is for ordinary people, working people, the vast majority of us who earn our money through wages. And then, the other is for the very, very wealthy, who make most of their money through the ownership of publicly traded assets, private businesses or other forms of capital," Allen outlined.

She added President Joe Biden's proposed tax changes would affect less than 1% of taxpayers nationwide, and only about 600 West Virginians.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Damage seen on Maui after catastrophic, wind-driven fires swept through the area. (Brea Burkholz/Direct Relief)

Social Issues

play sound

A California group formed after the firestorm that leveled the town of Paradise is stepping up to help Maui recover from its own disaster last month…


Social Issues

play sound

Skills for reducing violence are becoming essential in schools. At the beginning of the school year, students at a Washington state high school …

play sound

The age-old theory that opposites attract has been debunked. According to analysis of more than 130 traits in a study that included millions of …


The New York City Mayor has declared a State of Emergency due to the 113,000 migrants who've arrived since spring of 2022. (pressmaster/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A new report questions New York City Mayor Eric Adams' latest budget proposal for dealing with the city's influx of over 110,000 migrants. The cost …

Social Issues

play sound

A federal judge has blocked a 2022 Arizona law that voting-rights advocates say would have made it harder for some Native Americans to vote. House …

UAW members are asking for 36% raises in general pay over four years, as well as the return of pension plans for new workers. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Thousands of U.S. auto workers remain on strike, and the walkout is being felt in Minnesota. A rally was scheduled this morning in the Twin Cities …

Environment

play sound

If states like Minnesota are going to meet their climate goals, experts say younger workers will need to step into the roles to make it happen - like …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In rural Arkansas, access to healthcare can be a distant dream - literally - as almost 60 counties in the state do not have enough providers to serve …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021