Most California voters say they pay too much state, federal taxes

Roughly two-thirds of California voters believe the federal and state taxes their families must pay are too high, according to new polling data from the University of California, Berkeley Institute of Government Studies (IGS).

The report, released just days before Monday’s tax deadline, asked voters to consider their financial well-being this year compared to previous years and share their opinions on tax rates. The poll found that 64% of registered voters thought the amount of federal and state taxes they had to pay were too high, while 26% thought the taxes were “about right.” In 2016, 54% of voters said taxes were too high, while 40% said taxes were “about right.”

Additionally, the polling data revealed that 42% of voters say they are “worse off” financially now than they were a year ago, while 37% responded saying there was “no change” and 21% said they are “better off now.” Looking ahead, 49% of registered voters said they expect to see “no change” in their financial situation next year.

“The findings indicate that many Californians are feeling pinched in today’s economy,” G. Cristina Mora, IGS co-director, said in a statement. “While the pandemic brought gains for a few, a much larger percentage of Californians have borne an economic burden during this same time period.”

The survey comes as state lawmakers are returning to Sacramento after a spring recess. On top of the May budget revision coming up, lawmakers are also weighing options to provide rebates to taxpayers amid high gas prices and inflation impacts in the Golden State.

The Berkeley IGS poll was administered between March 29 and April 5 to 8,676 Californians. Researchers believe the poll has a sampling error of 2% at a 95% confidence level.

This article was originally posted on Most California voters say they pay too much state, federal taxes

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