Americans' view of taxes not as one-sided as believed

Washington

AS Tax Day - April 18 this year - approaches, we are confronted once again with the apparently enduring reality that Americans hate to pay taxes. Few political generalisations seem so indestructible. Gallup has long asked Americans whether their federal income taxes are too high. About 50 per cent to 60 per cent regularly say "yes". The federal income tax is deeply unpopular. So goes the conventional wisdom.

Except that it's not true or, at any rate, is too simple and incomplete. The tax system is not just a divider; it's a uniter, too.