More than half of Americans disapprove of the Republican tax overhaul, according to a new poll, and at least one Republican senator is already jumping ship.
Quinnipiac University found that 52 percent of those polled did not have a favorable view of the plan compared to just 25 percent of Americans who did. However, many voters were split along party lines.
The poll found 60 percent of Republican voters approved of the plan while 15 percent of Republicans did not. Twenty-six percent of Republicans were undecided. Meanwhile, 81 percent of Democrats disapproved of the plan and 4 percent approved of it, with 15 percent of Democratic voters undecided.
The poll also found that disapproval of the plan was generally steady among all age groups, with 52 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds not in favor of it, 56 percent of 35- to 49-year-olds not in favor of it, 54 percent of 50- to 64-year-olds not in favor of it, and 49 percent of those older than 65 not having a favorable opinion of the plan.
When asked which Americans would benefit most from the plan, 88 percent of Democrats said “wealthy” Americans, compared to 53 percent of Republicans who said the “middle class.” Only 3 percent of Democrats said it would help “low-income” Americans and 11 percent of Republicans said the same.
“The sentiment from voters: The GOP tax plan is a great idea, if you are rich. Otherwise, you’re out of luck,” Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said in a statement.
More specifically, 49 percent said lowering the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent is a bad idea, and 59 percent said eliminating the deduction for state and local income taxes would negatively impact Americans.
However, a majority of Americans thought doubling the standard deduction was a good idea, and just under half of voters said they were in favor of eliminating the estate tax.
While there appeared to be strong support among Senate Republicans regarding the tax plan—even with the expectation that a repeal of the individual mandate from the Affordable Care Act would be included in it—one lawmaker, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), said on Wednesday he would oppose the plan because it benefits corporations more than other kinds of businesses.
“If they can pass it without me, let them,” Johnson told the Wall Street Journal. “I’m not going to vote for this tax package.”
Quinnipiac polled more than 1,500 registered voters in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Iowa, and Colorado for the poll. The margin of error was 3 percent.
You can read more about the poll here.