Americans OK with taxes but not with the system

I admit to some surprise. Listening to the Republican contenders for the presidential nomination, you might think Americans wanted nothing more than to pay less taxes. In fact, according to a recent Pew Research Centre survey, most Americans (52 per cent) believe they pay about the right amount of tax. Interestingly, there has been a significant decline over the past decade in the number of both Democrats and Republicans who feel overtaxed.

What Americans don't approve of is their tax system, with 55 per cent saying it's unfair. When asked what bothers them most, only 11 per cent say the amount they pay. Twenty-eight per cent say the complexity of the system, and a whopping 57 per cent say that wealthy people aren't paying their fair share.

They are so unhappy about this that 59 per cent want Congress to completely change the system, only 34 per cent believing minor changes will do.

It appears that not only Occupy Wall Streeters are concerned about the increasing unfairness in their country. This bodes well for wealth distribution becoming an issue in the 2012 elections.