In poll, people say Trump tax plan benefits rich, companies

and GOP lawmakers are seeking a major legislative victory before the 2018 elections.

For all the differences of opinion over the details of tax changes, the poll shows a large and bipartisan appetite for tax cuts for middle-class families. Majorities of both Republicans and Democrats think the middle class and small businesses pay too much and that the wealthy and large corporations pay too little.

But doubts and partisan differences emerge when Americans size up whether the middle class will truly benefit from Trump’s plan, says the survey conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Just 43 percent of those of adults who have heard at least a little bit about the plan think it would help the middle class. And on that, there’s a large partisan divide: 79 percent of Republicans and 19 percent of Democrats share that sentiment.

“The more we give tax breaks to the wealthy, we’ve gone down that road before in the Bush regime,” said Democrat Benjamin Orris, a 36-year-old educator from Evanston, Illinois.

Darron Smith, a 49-year-old Trump voter from West Des Moines, Iowa, said the tax plan would help him as a single parent. He predicted lower taxes would lead to more consumer spending.

As for the warnings from Democrats, Smith said he remembered hearing the same arguments during President Ronald Reagan’s tenure.