Politics
Election 2012: Obama attacks on taxes and Bain hit Romney ratings
The Democrats are also calling on Romney to release more tax returns beyond the two years’ worth of information he has given so far. An ad last week suggested that not being more open about his taxes meant the White House hopeful had something to hide.
Almost half of the poll respondents said Americans have a right to know a presidential candidate’s financial history going back many years, while a third said Romney doesn’t need to release any more tax returns and further requests to do so are an invasion of his privacy.
Among registered voters, 37 percent said what they had heard about Romney’s taxes made them less favorable toward him, while among independents 30 percent agreed.
The poll results were not all negative for Romney, though. The Republican holds a 5 percentage point advantage over Obama among registered voters on his “plan, policy or approach” to the country’s economy.
The margin was 36 to 31 percent among registered voters, but 22 to 19 in favor of Obama among independents.
Americans also showed signs of displeasure about a candidate’s taxes becoming such an important part of the national dialogue. More than half of registered voters, 55 percent, said the debate about Romney’s tax returns was a waste of time, while 45 percent said it was an important part of the campaign.
But independents, by a margin of 54 to 46, saw Romney’s taxes as important in the fight for the White House.
