New Virginia Polling Finds “Strong Support for Democratic Proposals Such as Millionaires Tax, Child Tax Credit, and Down Payment Assistance”

NEW POLL: Virginians Want Middle-Class Relief, with Rich and Corporations Paying Their Fair Share

Gaming Unpopular Across All Regions, Especially Fairfax County

RICHMOND, Va. — Today, Freedom Virginia released polling conducted by Public Policy Polling in six battleground House districts and all of Fairfax County that shows strong support for a fair tax agenda that prioritizes hardworking people over special corporate interests.

The survey focused on tax fairness and where Virginians would like economic relief in the 2024-2026 biennial budget. A memo with results can be read here.

Polling found that among the districts surveyed, policies included in the Freedom Virginia “Get Ahead” Agenda are strongly supported by hardworking Virginia voters.

In a majority of districts surveyed, a higher tax rate on income above $1,000,000 a year, or a millionaire’s tax, to ensure the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share was widely popular, ranging from 60% support to more than 70% support. Across all districts, when asked which forms of tax relief they support most, voters said that a first-time homebuyer’s grant was number one above other forms of tax relief polled like exempting tips from state income tax and a car tax credit.

The polling shows that while Virginians are struggling with rising prices, they cite corporate price gouging as the primary reason for the cost of living crisis — more than COVID-19 era inflation or increased federal spending.

Virginia voters strongly support fair tax reforms, not gaming ventures like casinos and illegal skill games, to ensure the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share to fund the right priorities.

When asked if they would support the legalization of skill games, voters in all districts viewed legalization unfavorably, with opposition ranging from -47% net approval to -67%. According to a recent study by Magnum, the median income for communities where skill games were placed when they were legal between 2020-2021 was below the 2021 state median, and there are a number of people who fall below the poverty level in these communities. Across Fairfax County, voters expressed opposition to a Tysons casino; when asked if they would support legislators’ efforts to authorize the Board of Supervisors to hold a referendum, 62% were opposed, and when asked how they would vote in a referendum right now, 68% said they would vote no.

The polls took place in six battleground House districts 21, 57, 65, 71, 82, 97 and all of Fairfax County from January 29 to January 31.

Freedom Virginia co-Executive Director Ryan O’Toole released the following statement on the new polling:

“Virginia voters are clear: they need economic relief, and they need it now. In contrast to the governor’s introduced budget, the House and Senate’s proposed budget amendments address voters’ economic anxieties by including a first-time homebuyers’ grant, more affordable child care, and lowering taxes for working people through a higher standard deduction and an increase in the refundable earned income tax credit to tackle the ever-increasing cost of living in Virginia. Our research shows clearly that voters want to fund the right priorities through fair taxes, not through gaming schemes like so-called skill games or the proposed Tysons casino. It’s time to provide hardworking families the opportunity to do more than get by; we must ensure they can get ahead.”