Most Utahns say they support the Trump tax cuts passed by Congress at the end of 2017, but nearly half say they haven’t noticed the promised increase in their take-home pay.
A new UtahPolicy.com survey from Dan Jones & Associates finds:
- 56% of Utahns say they support the Trump tax cuts. 24% “strongly support, while 32% say they are “somewhat” supportive.
- 34% say they are opposed, with 20% saying they “strongly” oppose the cuts.
- 9% don’t know.
Despite that majority support, only about 1/4 of Utahns say they have seen their paychecks rise because of the cuts.
- 24% say they’ve seen a bump in their take-home pay.
- 47% say they have not seen an increase.
- 23% say the tax cuts do not apply to them.
- 6% did not know.
It’s not surprising that nearly half of Utahns are not noticing a boost in their paychecks. A Tax Policy Center analysis of the legislation found that the lowest 20% of earners would get, on average, a $60 cut this year. Workers in the second-lowest 20% would get a $380 reduction in taxes this year. Average that out across 24 paychecks for employees paid twice a month, and you find those at the lowest end of the income scale would see an average increase of $2.50 per paycheck, while the second-lowest earners would see an average rise of $16 per check.
On the other hand, the analysis says the top earners would get about $320 per paycheck.
Republicans in Congress said the $1.5 trillion tax cut package would make the tax system simpler and fairer, while Democrats said the tax cuts would mostly benefit wealthier Americans. A UtahPolicy.com survey from November of 2017 found that 53% of Utahns agreed with the Republican position, while 34% said they believed the Democratic position. Those numbers are almost the same as the current poll, meaning the tax cut plan has likely not gained in popularity among Utahns since it’s passage.
Utah Republicans are more likely to be supportive of the tax cut package than Democrats. Independent voters are evenly divided.
- 79% of Republicans say they support the tax cuts.
- Just 12% of Democrats are supportive, while 83% are against them, including 66% who are “strongly” opposed.
- 47% of unaffiliated Utah voters are in favor of the Trump tax cuts, while 46% are opposed.
The survey was conducted February 9-16 2017 among 609 registered Utah voters, with a margin of error +/- 4%.
