Obama tax plan gains support, poll finds Los Angeles Times Copyright 2012 Los Angeles Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Published 10:07 p.m., Tuesday, July 17, 2012 A new survey by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found that 44 percent said the tax increase would help the economy, 22 percent said it would be harmful, and 24 percent said the tax hike would not make a difference. By overwhelming margins, Democrats said the tax hike would boost the economy and make the tax system fairer.