Cheating on Taxes Not OK to Most Americans

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When it comes to paying income taxes, most Americans believe honesty is the best policy, new research finds.

A study by the IRS Oversight Board revealed that 87 percent of taxpayers believe that it is not at all acceptable to cheat on your income taxes, an increase of 3 percentage points from a year ago. In addition, just 11 percent think it's OK to cheat — a little here and there, or as much as possible — the lowest level in the study's 11-year history.

For more than 90 percent of those surveyed, personal integrity influenced their decision on whether to report and pay their taxes honestly.

http://www.livescience.com/27540-cheating-on-taxes.html

[preacherman76]

I wonder how many people polled actualy pay taxes.

[Frank Merton]

Now how is anyone going to respond to such a poll? Even with all the possible assurances of anonymity, one is not quite sure.

[Jinxdom]

I just throw so much truth at them, they end up giving me more money. I was never threaten with an audit ever again =D

[AsteroidX]

Taxes are for the rich.

[Ashotep]

If you make the money you should pay your taxes on it. I think the rich should be paying more than the poor and middle class though.

[AsteroidX]

OK Taxes are for the Rich and some of the middle class. As long as mega corps remain tax exempt Im good with the Tax Structure. Id hate to see my empire eroded.

[Jackofalltrades]

"most Americans believe honesty is the best policy"

It's ashame the government/politician's do not see it the same way............

[Bama13]

If you make the money you should pay your taxes on it. I think the rich should be paying more than the poor and middle class though.

You must be happy then because the rich do pay more.

[Frank Merton]

"Tax the rich" sounds good -- they can afford it.

If only the world were so easy. First, the rich can also afford accountants and other such fellows, and lobbyists, and lawyers Set the tax rate too high and you really do end up collecting less. It changes the behavior of the rich. They think about taxes more than they think about making money.

The other thing is that the much maligned "trickle-down" is valid. Rich people spend money on things and investments -- the two ways money moves around in a society -- more than do poor people.

Fairness is a slippery concept. Too often what seems fair to you means it isn't coming out of your pocket. Taxing the rich seems fair until you are rich and know that you earned that wealth being smart and working hard, and now you have to pay most of it in taxes to support all sorts of government spending designed to buy votes for politicians.

Frankly I think the rich should in fact be the only people taxed, but the way governments spend money nowadays that isn't possible, and taxes on the rich have to be carefully designed to not destroy wealth.