Poll for CWA shows voters overwhelmingly oppose tax on benefits

Voters in ten swing states oppose a tax on health benefits by a margin of more than 3 to 1, according to a poll by Anzalone-Liszt Research commissioned by CWA.

The poll also indicated political problems ahead for elected officials who support the benefits tax, which is included in the current version of the health reform bill being debated by the Senate.  Sixty-three percent of voters - and 68 percent of independent voters - said they would be less likely to vote to re-elect a representative who voted for the benefits tax.

A clear majority in the poll supported an alternative way to pay for health reform, a tax increase on individuals making more than $500,000 a year and families making more than a million dollars a year. The "millionaires' tax" was supported by 54 percent of voters polled and opposed by 42 percent.

"It is clear from the poll that voters have a real sense of what is a fair way to pay for health care reform, citing the overwhelming preference to tax upper-income families instead of taxing health care benefits," said John Anzalone, president of the polling firm.

The poll surveyed 2,200 likely voters in Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota and Virginia.

The results are consistent with those in other polls. For example, a Kaiser Family Foundation poll in October found 69 percent opposed to a benefits tax if the cost would be passed along to workers, with 21 percent opposed.  In that Kaiser poll, 63 percent supported an added tax on high-income families, with 33 percent opposed.