Democratic, Republican Views Differ Widely On Buffett Rule

Last week, a survey of Republican voters in south Arkansas stated their overwhelming opposition to an increased tax on individuals making more than $1 million annually. Democrats in Arkansas feel quite differently.

Pres. Obama and Congressional Democrats have been touting a plan known as the Buffett rule, named after billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who says wealthy Americans need to be taxed at a higher rate.

The proposal did not receive enough votes to qualify for debate in the U.S. Senate recently, in part due to a vote against consideration by Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor (D).

Pryor was the only Senate Democrat who opposed the measure. He issued a statement that the plan was   and he called for a more comprehensive tax reform effort.

Democratic voters in the First Congressional District support the Buffett Rule, however, and its supposition is part of a plan Cong. Rick Crawford (R) has suggested, which drew the ire of elements from his conservative party base. Crawford has proposed a millionaire’s income surtax charge tied to passage of a Congressional balanced budget amendment.

In our latest Talk Business-Hendrix College Poll, conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday April 24-25, 2012, a majority of 497 likely Democratic primary voters in Arkansas’ First Congressional District said the Buffett Rule was worthy of support.

Q: The U.S. Senate recently sought to consider a bill called “The Warren Buffett Rule,” which would place a higher income tax on those making more than $1 million a year. Would you support the Buffett Rule becoming law?

52%        Yes
29%         No
20%        Don’t know

Contrast this result with data from the Fourth Congressional District GOP poll taken last week:

Q: The U.S. Senate recently sought to consider a bill called “The Warren Buffett Rule,” which would place a higher income tax on those making more than $1 million a year. Would you support the Buffett Rule becoming law?

23%    Yes
66%    No
11%    Don’t know

Per capita income in Arkansas in 2011 was $34,104, according to statistics released last month.

Dr. Jay Barth, with the Hendrix College Department of Politics and International Relations, helped craft and analyze the poll.

“It appears that Congressman Crawford, still relatively unknown in the district, will be able to make some cross-party appeal with his stance on the Millionnaire’s Tax,” Barth said. “Still, based on what we know from Republican voters in the Fourth district, it is likely to be a very unpopular stance in his own party.”

“Pryor, who voted against the measure last week, is likely to face questions from his own partisans on the issue as he moves into his re-election campaign,” Barth added.

POLL METHODOLOGY
The poll was conducted by Talk Business Research and Hendrix College on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 24-25, 2012. The poll, which has a margin of error of +/-4.4%, was completed using IVR survey technology among 497 likely Democratic voters in Arkansas’ First Congressional District.

Participants were selected from a database of district voters who have voted in some or all of the last 5 Democratic primary elections and who affirmatively answered a question that they intended to vote in the Democratic primary on May 22, 2012.

All media outlets are welcome to reprint, reproduce, or rebroadcast information from this poll with proper attribution to Talk Business and Hendrix College.

For interviews, Brock can be reached by email at [email protected]. Barth can be contacted at [email protected].