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Poll: Majority favor payroll tax cut, but support declines from last autumn
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02/14/12 06:25 PM ET
A new poll released Tuesday found that a majority of Americans continue to favor cutting the payroll tax, although the percentage supporting that break has steadily decreased since last autumn.
According to a survey by CNN/ORC, 54 percent of Americans favor cutting the payroll tax, while 42 percent oppose doing so. That figure is down from 59 percent in October of last year, and 65 percent last September.
Democrats are evenly split on the issue, with 48 percent favoring a tax cut and 49 percent opposing. Nearly six in 10 Republicans support reducing the payroll tax, while 38 percent do not believe in doing so.
This despite President Obama campaigning vigorously for an extension of the tax break in recent days - and congressional Republicans initially arguing any cuts would have to be offset with spending reductions. House leadership signaled earlier this week that they would likely come off that demand, and negotiators hope to have a deal sometime within the next few days.
The White House has been flooding social media channels asking supporters to write in what the extension would mean to to them, while congressional leadership has been battling over messaging on the Hill.
"These crucial policies affect millions of middle-class families and seniors and must not expire at the end of this month,” said Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) speaking to reporters Tuesday.
Republican leaders have accused Democrats of being unwilling to negotiate on reciprocal cuts.
"To date, Democrats have refused virtually every spending cut proposed – insisting instead on job-threatening tax hikes on small business job creators – and with respect to the need for an extension of the payroll tax cut, time is running short," Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said in a joint statement Monday.
The issue has been a political football since December, when Republicans in the House were unwilling to agree to a temporary extension of the credit. Democrats exploited the party disunity, hammering the GOP for holding up the bill.
According to a survey by CNN/ORC, 54 percent of Americans favor cutting the payroll tax, while 42 percent oppose doing so. That figure is down from 59 percent in October of last year, and 65 percent last September.
Democrats are evenly split on the issue, with 48 percent favoring a tax cut and 49 percent opposing. Nearly six in 10 Republicans support reducing the payroll tax, while 38 percent do not believe in doing so.
The White House has been flooding social media channels asking supporters to write in what the extension would mean to to them, while congressional leadership has been battling over messaging on the Hill.
"These crucial policies affect millions of middle-class families and seniors and must not expire at the end of this month,” said Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) speaking to reporters Tuesday.
Republican leaders have accused Democrats of being unwilling to negotiate on reciprocal cuts.
"To date, Democrats have refused virtually every spending cut proposed – insisting instead on job-threatening tax hikes on small business job creators – and with respect to the need for an extension of the payroll tax cut, time is running short," Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said in a joint statement Monday.
The issue has been a political football since December, when Republicans in the House were unwilling to agree to a temporary extension of the credit. Democrats exploited the party disunity, hammering the GOP for holding up the bill.
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