Apparently the GOP meme that a tax hike for the wealthy would be unfair and bad for the economy is getting very little traction. As TDS Co-Editor Ruy Teixeira explains in his latest ‘Public Opinion Snapshot’ at the Center for American Progress web pages, a recently released Pew Research Center poll indicates quite the opposite:.

To start, most people do not believe raising taxes on those making $250,000 or more would make the tax system more unfair. Only 21 percent of Americans endorse that idea, while more than double that number (44 percent) think raising taxes on the rich would actually make the system fairer. Another 24 percent think it would have no effect one way or the other on fairness.
As for the suggestion that raising taxes on the rich would hurt the economy, only 22 percent of Americans agree. Again, twice that number (44 percent) hold the directly opposite view–that raising taxes on the rich would help the economy. Another 25 percent do not think the economy would be affected negatively or positively.

As Teixeira concludes, “These data suggest that conservative arguments on taxing the rich do not convince the public. On the contrary, the public is clearly open to seeing taxes rise on the affluent. Policymakers need to take note.”