D.C. Voters Strongly Support Revenue-Raising Policies That Will Ensure Wealthy Households and Businesses Pay Their Fair Share in Taxes
By Anika Dandekar and Tenneth Fairclough II
While many residents of Washington, D.C. — including Black and Latino residents — continue to struggle with the high costs of living in the nation’s capital, Mayor Muriel Bowser recently introduced a budget for the new fiscal year that cuts crucial funding for social safety net programs in the District. Some of these programs include housing assistance for middle-to-low-income households, funding for early childhood development, and Black wealth-building programs.
In collaboration with the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 724 likely voters in the District to examine attitudes toward progressive taxation measures that could open up new, sustainable revenue streams for these critical social programs. The survey finds vast support for taxes that would primarily affect the wealthiest in the District. These findings mirror polling conducted last year by Data for Progress and the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute where voters reported having experienced economic hardship due to essential living costs, such as housing or child care, and overwhelmingly supported policy initiatives by the D.C. Council that could address these issues.
Altogether, this new polling shows that D.C. voters support progressive tax policies that would ensure wealthy businesses and households pay their fair share in taxes and raise revenue to invest in programs and services that address economic hardship in the District.
D.C. Voters’ Perceptions of Local Government
First, the survey gauged attitudes toward the role of public programs such as affordable housing and food assistance, as well as the D.C. government’s ability to implement them. Voters were asked whether public programs in D.C. are effective or ineffective at helping those in need, including households with low incomes and the Black and Latino communities.
D.C. voters are split: 43% say these public programs are effective, while 46% say they are ineffective. Voters across party lines show slightly differing perspectives. Democrats are more split on the issue, as 47% believe public programs are effective in helping these groups, compared with 43% who say they are ineffective. Independents are more aligned: A small majority (53%) say public programs are ineffective.
There are also differences in the perception of these programs between Black and white voters. While 48% of Black voters believe public programs are effective in helping these groups, 46% believe that they are ineffective. A plurality of white voters (45%) believe public programs are ineffective, while 38% say they are effective.
Next, the survey examined whether voters believe the D.C. government should be taking a more active or less active role in helping people in need, such as households with low incomes and Black and Latino communities, or if it is already doing enough to help these groups.
A strong majority of D.C. voters (72%) believe that the D.C. government should take a more active role in helping these groups. Only 16% of voters say it is already doing enough. This view is consistent across party lines, as 79% of Democrats and 57% of Independents say the D.C. government should take a more active role in helping these groups, compared with 12% and 24% who say it is currently doing enough, respectively. This viewpoint is also shared across race, as 73% of Black voters and 68% of white voters believe the D.C. government should take a more active role in helping people in need, compared with 13% and 20% who say it is already doing enough, respectively.
D.C. Voters’ Views on Progressive Tax Policies
In the next section of the poll, voters were asked if they support or oppose a range of policies that could be implemented in the District, such as creating a District-level Child Tax Credit (CTC) that would provide up to $1,500 per child in low- and middle-income households. An overwhelming 85% of voters support this policy, including 89% of Democrats and 80% of Independents in D.C. This strong support also holds across race: 89% of Black voters and 84% of white voters back a local CTC.
D.C. voters were also given information about a proposed business activity tax (BAT), which would raise taxes on professional services firms and corporations that operate in D.C. and are currently exempt from District taxes if they are multi-state or owned by individuals residing outside of D.C. Voters were then asked whether they would support or oppose implementing a BAT in the District. Over three-quarters of D.C. voters (76%) support a BAT to ensure businesses operating in the District pay their fair share of taxes, including 80% of Democrats, 67% of Independents, 73% of Black voters, and 80% of white voters.
Voters also enthusiastically support raising taxes on the wealthy. Seventy-eight percent of D.C. voters support an increase in taxes for households earning greater than $1 million in income. This includes 82% of Democrats, 73% of Independent voters, 79% of Black voters, and 78% of white voters.
Over two-thirds of D.C. voters (69%) support raising property taxes on homes that have a taxable value over $1.5 million, including 72% of Democrats, 60% of Independents, 71% of Black voters, and 66% of white voters.
Lastly, voters support raising taxes on capital gains when framed around whom an increase in taxes would impact. In a baseline ask, a simple majority of D.C. voters (51%) are opposed to raising tax rates on capital gains. Democrats in particular are split on the issue, with 46% opposed and 42% in support. In a follow-up A/B split test, voters were given additional context to the tax increase: either 1) that capital gains have gone overwhelmingly to the wealthiest 1% of households, meaning families with incomes over $1 million would be impacted the most by a tax rate increase or 2) that raising tax rates on capital gains would allow the D.C. government to support various programs, like rental and food assistance and tax credits to eligible households. When shown information about the types of programs that would be funded by a capital gains tax increase, support increases slightly from the baseline ask at 39% to 46%; however, 48% of voters remain opposed. When told that a capital gains tax increase would primarily impact the wealthiest 1% of households, a majority of voters (53%) support raising tax rates on capital gains — a 14-point gain in support from the baseline ask. This includes 61% of Democrats, 60% of voters under the age of 45, and 56% of college voters.
As our previous polling shows, D.C. voters believe the government should be doing more to support communities in need and continue to strongly support initiatives in the District that can help them make ends meet, such as the creation of a local Child Tax Credit. Voters also strongly support progressive tax policies that can address wealth inequality in the District — such as a business activity tax and a millionaires’ tax — that will ensure wealthy households and businesses in the District pay their fair share in taxes while raising critically needed revenue.
Anika Dandekar (@AnikaDandekar) is a senior analyst at Data for Progress.
Tenneth Fairclough II (@tenten_wins) is a polling analyst at Data for Progress.
Survey Methodology
From March 19 to 27, 2024, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 724 likely voters in the District of Columbia using SMS, live caller, and web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, geography, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is ±4 percentage points.