Overwhelming majority wants to raise taxes on the rich

Results of a survey conducted by MMR for the Socialist Party of Iceland (Sósíalistaflokkur Íslands) show that 77 percent of the nation believes that taxes paid by the wealthiest people in Iceland should be higher. 18% said that taxes should remain unchanged, while only 5% wanted taxes on the richest people to be lowered.

A large majority in all groups wants to raise taxes on the rich. 74% of men and 80% of women want to raise taxes on the wealthiest people, 74% of the youngest and 86% of the oldest, 77% of the most educated and 81% of the least educated, 74% of people with household incomes over one million and 81% of people with 600-999 thousand ISK per month. There is no difference between rural areas and the capital region, and little difference between social classes, except that slightly fewer among managers and senior officials want to raise taxes on the wealthiest people, 62%, compared to other classes, from 75% up to 85%.

Independence Party supporters stand out

It can be asserted that there is a strong and broad national will to raise taxes on the rich. It is not until political views are considered that one group stands apart. That is Independence Party supporters. While 77-98% of supporters of other parties want to raise taxes on the rich, only 37% of Independence Party supporters say they want to raise taxes on the wealthiest people.

This is yet another survey showing that Independence Party supporters are completely at odds with the majority of people. If we combine the supporters of all other parties, 87% of them want to raise taxes on the rich, compared to only 37% of Independence Party supporters. It is then remarkable that the stance of this fringe group that votes for the Independence Party has largely determined the development of Icelandic society.

Socialists want to tax the rich

It should come as no surprise that Socialists are most keen to raise taxes on the rich, with 98% of the party's supporters. Next come the Pirates, 96%, then the People's Party, 88%, the Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Green Movement, 85%, Reform Party and Progressive Party, 84%, then the Centre Party, 77%, and finally the Independence Party, 37%.

The Socialist Party is the only party that has proposed decisive tax increases on the wealthiest people for these elections. In its offer to voters regarding tax system reform, there is a chapter called Tax the Rich. It states that the restoration of taxation on the rich involves imposing a wealth tax to reclaim what the wealthiest people extracted from common funds during the neoliberal years, to tax capital income in the same way as earned income, to introduce high-income brackets, and to tax inheritance in the same way as other income, if it exceeds the value of a good apartment.

A question of justice

The purpose of this, according to the offer, is not only revenue generation for the state treasury and municipal funds, but the goal is to increase justice and decentralization of power within society. Unfettered capitalism, unchecked by the tax system, creates the tyranny of capital, a society of injustice and cruelty. The tax system is therefore a tool to implement more compassion, reconciliation, and justice.

But this is not enough. The wealthy have countless ways to avoid tax payments, both within loophole-ridden laws and by hiding assets, falsifying income, and evading taxes in other ways. Low taxes on the wealthiest are only one arm of the cruel economy's tax policy. The other is a myriad of exemptions and poor tax supervision.

According to the results of the MMR opinion poll, this policy enjoys broad support throughout society, across all groups and communities, among all genders and age groups, among all social classes and income groups, except that Independence Party supporters are not as eager to support this policy of taxing the rich as other people.

See more on the Socialists' offer:Tax the Rich

The survey was an online survey conducted from August 18 to 24. 932 people, aged 18 and older, were asked, and 850 stated their position.