As negotiations continued during the first week of December over whether to pass an extension of all or part of the Bush tax cuts, a new poll released Dec. 2 shows a majority of Americans support extending the cuts only for families making less than $250,000 a year.
The new poll, conducted by CBS News, found that 53% of adults surveyed prefer the cuts to be extended only for those making less than $250,000, while 26% believe they should be extended for everyone and only 14% want all of the cuts to expire. Other recent polling shows similar levels of support for extending only some of the Bush tax cuts.
Republicans in Congress have threatened to block the tax relief measure unless it includes continuing the Bush-era tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires and other wealthy Americans. President Obama wants tax breaks to continue for those making under $250,000 a year, but does not want to extend the tax breaks to those earning more than that. Democrats support Obama’s position by 70%. Even 41% of Republicans support Obama’s position, while 46% of Republicans support tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires.
The CBS News poll was conducted Nov. 29-Dec. 1 among 808 adults, and had a margin of error of four percentage points.