More than half — 55 percent — of likely voters say a tax hike should not be included in legislation to raise the debt ceiling, while just 34 percent believe it should, according to Rasmussen Reports.
There is a huge partisan divide on the issue: 58 percent of Democrats want a tax hike in the deal while 82 percent of Republicans do not, Rasmussen says of a July 12-13 national telephone survey of 1,000 likely voters. Among those not affiliated with either major political party, 35 percent favor a tax hike and 51 percent are opposed.
Americans who earn more than $75,000 a year are evenly divided on the issue. Those who earn less oppose including tax hikes.
Voters remain very concerned about the debt-ceiling issue. Almost 70 percent believe that it would be bad for the economy if a failure to raise the ceiling led to a default on U.S. loans. Only 6 percent believe it would be good for the economy, 14 percent believe it would have no impact, and 11 percent are not sure.
At the same time, 52 percent of voters believe it would be even more dangerous to raise the debt ceiling without making significant cuts in government spending; 37 percent take the opposite view and believe a government default would be more risky.
In addition, 41 percent believe President Barack Obama has done a poor job handling the debt-ceiling debate, while 38 percent say he has done a good or excellent one.
Among Democrats, 74 percent give Obama good or excellent marks, while 71 percent of Republicans say he’s doing a poor job. Among those not affiliated with either major party, 42 percent say he’s doing a poor job, while 31 percent rate his performance as good or excellent marks.
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