Messaging Guide

Taxes

Begin in agreement, for example: Our tax system is unfair because wealthy individuals and big corporations don’t pay their fair share.
Use values, for example: Fairness, fair share, justice, equal opportunity, level playing field.
Show how they benefit, for example: It’s average Americans who need tax breaks, not rich individuals and huge corporations.

Americans think that taxes are unfair. By a three-to-one margin, they believe that upper-income people and big corporations are paying too little. You should explicitly declare that tax laws have been engineered to unfairly benefit the rich and special interests. In short, don’t defend taxes, defend tax fairness.

Say… Our tax system is unfair. The tax burden on working families has increased while rich people and huge corporations have been given tax giveaways and loopholes. That’s wrong—everyone should pay their fair share. We need to change the rules to create a tax system that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few. One step is [describe your specific proposal]…

Don’t say tax relief because it frames taxes as an affliction in need of a remedy. The problem is not the existence of taxes, it is that federal, state and local taxes are riddled with giveaways and loopholes for the politically powerful. Whatever you do, don’t defend the unpopular tax system. And don’t begin with a raft of statistics either. Start by agreeing with voters.

Don’t say… Tax relief, taxes are a necessary evil
Say… Tax fairness, tax giveaways and tax loopholes, private tax subsidies, unfair tax system

No one likes to pay taxes, and persuadable voters don’t want to hear a lecture that taxes are the dues we pay for a civilized society. But people generally accept that they should pay their fair share.

Interestingly, a progressive monologue about taxes becomes less popular if it begins with unfairness and then goes on to say what government could do with more money. This is because persuadable voters don’t really believe the government needs more money; they believe one-third to one-half of tax dollars are wasted. Talking about the good things government can do with the taxes it collects also evokes voters’ biases against tax-and-spend politicians. So, stick with your plea that the powerful need to pay their fair share.

Here are a couple of claims you may have to deal with:

Right wing argument: Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no federal income taxes.

Say… Everyone needs to pay their fair share of taxes. And in fact, everyone who earns a salary pays taxes for Social Security and Medicare. Everyone who buys products at a store, or owns a home, pays taxes. Everyone who has a phone or online service pays taxes. When all the federal, state and local taxes and fees are added together, almost everybody except the rich pays about 20 to 30 percent of their income. The richest individuals and largest companies in America do not pay anywhere near their fair share.

Right wing argument: We’re all hurt by the “death tax.”

Say… Everyone should pay their fair share of taxes. If we repealed the tax on inheritance, the system would be far more tilted to benefit the rich. It only applies to the very wealthiest people, and they already have more than their fair share of tax breaks. If you’re for tax fairness, you’re for keeping the inheritance tax.