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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsthe EconomySocial SecurityTax ReformFiscal PolicyPayroll taxRetirement Benefits•••Started 4mos agoActive 6 days ago

Should high earners pay Social Security taxes on all their income?

Currently, Americans only pay Social Security taxes on earnings up to a certain cap (around $168,000 in 2024), meaning millionaires pay the same amount into the system as someone earning that cap. Removing this cap is a popular proposal to fix the program's funding shortfall without cutting benefits. Proponents argue it is a fair way to protect the safety net; opponents view it as a damaging tax increase on high achievers that breaks the link between contributions and payouts.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 4.7k America voters.

72%
Yes
28%
No
59%
Yes
24%
No
8%
Yes, the wealthy must pay their fair share to keep the system solvent
3%
No, this is a massive tax hike that punishes success and stifles economic growth
5%
Yes, but strictly lockbox the revenue so politicians cannot raid it for other spending
0%
No, we should raise the retirement age or means-test benefits instead

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 4.7k America voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 4.7k America voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @BDYSWXG from Florida  answered…6 days6D

No. The Social Security system should have voluntary participation.

 @BDQSRZR from Arizona  answered…3wks3W

Yes, but increase the amount one can dump into their Roth-IRAs or other similar tax-free accounts as well.

 @Kid-Bones from Pennsylvania  answered…4wks4W

Abolish Social Security. It robs disabled people of their much needed benefits to survive. Instead, switch to a charity.

 @BDM7KG3from Virgin Islands  answered…4wks4W

Yes, but only as much as it won't discourage people from trying to gain wealth.

 @BDKKL4H from Louisiana  answered…1mo1MO

On some of their income because if they pay all it would not leave the citizens with money to provide for themselves and their loved ones.

 @BDK2YKS from California  answered…1mo1MO

No, but the current cap should be raised from $184,300 to a level that resolves the deficit in social security.

 @BDXL442 from North Carolina  answered…1wk1W

Social security should be ended

 @BDVQ839 from Texas  answered…2wks2W

Increase but not enough to discourage hard work or badly effect those who don’t pocket that money, like farmers.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Israeli Bombings Kill 2,300 In Lebanon in 3 weeks

Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.The Israeli military has ordered people living in more than a quarter of Lebanon to flee, according to a UN calculation, as its fight with the Iran-backed Shia militant group Hizbollah threatens to engulf the Mediterranean country.Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.More than 1mn people have fled their homes in Lebanon in under a month, according to its government, a dramatic forced movement of the population in a country of only about 5mn inhabitants with a land mass smaller than the US state of Connecticut. Israeli forces began a ground offensive in south Lebanon two weeks ago, in their fourth invasion of the country in under five decades. They had already destroyed large parts of the densely populated southern Beirut suburb where Hizbollah had its headquarters, and killed many top militant commanders in air strikes, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah.Rema Jamous Imseis, Middle East director of UNHCR, told journalists in Geneva that “over 25 per cent of [Lebanon is] under a direct Israeli military evacuation order”. “People are heeding these calls to evacuate and they’re fleeing with almost nothing,” she added, saying that 80 per cent of the shelters opened by the Lebanese government — mostly in schools — were now full.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

A Moment of Darkness': Washington Post's No-Endorsement Decision Ignites Media Firestorm

Even though the presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is neck and neck, The Washington Post has decided not to make a presidential endorsement for the first time in 36 years, the publisher and CEO announced Friday."We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates," Will Lewis wrote in an opinion piece published on the paper's website. He referenced the paper's policy in the decades prior to 1976, when, following the Watergate scandal that the Post broke, it endorsed Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter. The last time the Post did not endorse a presidential candidate in the general election was 1988, according to a search of its archives.Colleagues learned the news from the editorial page editor, David Shipley, at a tense meeting shortly before Lewis' announcement. The meeting was characterized by someone with direct knowledge of discussions on condition of anonymity to speak about internal matters.Shipley said that he told other editorial board leaders Thursday by management that there would be no endorsement, though he has known for weeks. He added that he "owns" this decision. The reason he cited was to create "independent space" where the newspaper does not tell people for whom to vote.Colleagues were said to be "shocked" and uniformly negative. Post corporate spokespeople have not responded to multiple messages left by NPR on the subject.Former Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron, who led the newsroom to acclaim during Trump's presidency, denounced the decision starkly."This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty," Baron said in a statement to NPR. "Donald Trump will celebrate this as an invitation to further intimidate The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos (and other media owners). History will mark a disturbing chapter of spinelessness at an institution famed for courage."A similar decision by Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong led this week to the resignations of the paper's editorials editor and two editorial board members. Soon-Shiong said that he had asked the editorial board to draft a "factual analysis" of Trump and Harris' policies and plans. In her resignation letter, editorials editor Mariel Garza said the decision made the paper look “craven and hypocritical,” given its past reporting and editorials on Trump.

▲  1013 replies

About This Data

Based on 4.7k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should high earners pay Social Security taxes on all their income?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 17, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/poll/5548762433

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