WATCH: Students stunned when they hear how much 'the rich' already pay in taxes
Students overwhelmingly supported raising taxes for the rich, but when Smith asked them who "the rich" was, they were unsure.
As Democrat demands to ”tax the rich” grow, Campus Reform’s Addison Smith went to the University of Houston to see if students felt that the wealthy in America pay their fair share, or if they should have their taxes raised even more.
Students overwhelmingly supported raising taxes for the rich, but when Smith asked them who “the rich” was, they were unsure.
“I have no idea. Probably like, more than 6 digits maybe”, said one student. “I think somebody that like, has like a good-paying job,” said another.
When Smith asked students to guess the threshold for the top 1% of income earners in America, many of them thought they were multi-millionaires and billionaires. In reality, a 2020 Pew Research Center poll found the threshold to be in the top 1% is a salary of $538,926, much less than the students suspected. But many supported raising their taxes nonetheless, until Smith revealed how much they already pay.
”How much do you think the 1% pay in taxes currently”, Smith asked. “Like, nothing”, one student responded. Another suggested that “rich people don’t even pay taxes”.
Smith then revealed to them that the top 1% pays more in federal income taxes than the bottom 90% of income earners in America. Accounting for more than 20% of the national income, they pay approximately 40% of all taxes.
”Really? Wow”, one student responded. Another said that maybe the 1% is taxed “too much”.
Many then stated that, contrary to the left’s objections, perhaps “the rich” do pay their fair share, with one lady saying that such exorbitant tax rates are “unfair” to those forced to pay it, and another expressing they should be taxed less.
Watch the full video above to see their responses.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @_addisonsmith1
