Most American taxpayers say the much-ballyhooed tax "reform" they are experiencing for the first time has made the system worse, not better, according to a nationwide poll published Tuesday.
Fifty-five percent of those interviewed in the Washington Post-ABC News poll expressed that opinion, compared to just 31 percent who said the new system is better.The poll also showed that about 3 out of 5 expect to pay more this year than they did under the old system; 58 percent said they believed their taxes are higher compared to just 22 percent who said they will pay less. Twelve percent said they expect their taxes to be about the same.
When the tax changes were passed in 1986, members of both political parties and President Reagan promised that the new law would make the system fairer and simpler. But the poll showed that most Americans wrestling with the tax changes in the first year they have taken effect disagree.
The poll was based on interviews with 910 people who said they had filed or plan to file federal tax returns this year.