Northern Illinois U study-People's views on income tax are "morally charged." Don't think we needed a study for that.

NIU sociologist Jeffrey Kidder leads new study that finds everyday tax talk is ‘morally charged’

"“We propose that everyday tax talk among the middle class is not simply about economics or free markets. Tax talk is morally charged,” NIU sociologist Jeffrey Kiddersaid.

“In this study, we demonstrate how people associate the income tax with a violation of the moral principle that hard work should be rewarded,” he added. “Our research has implications for how policymakers should frame fiscal issues. Because people intertwine fiscal issues with morality, approaches to tax policy that only emphasize economic benefits for the working and middle classes do not resonate with everyday understandings about what taxes mean to people.”"