Q. Would you support an increase in the GST if it was :
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
| Directly invested in hospitals and health services |
56% |
57% |
63% |
66% |
46% |
|
| Invested in aged pensions |
44% |
47% |
52% |
34% |
37% |
|
| Directly invested in vital infrastructure like roads and railways |
39% |
40% |
50% |
32% |
24% |
|
| Used to pay off our national debt |
28% |
21% |
45% |
18% |
18% |
A majority (56%) would support an increase in the GST if it was directly invested in hospitals and health services. There was also substantial support for increasing the GST if invested in aged pensions (44%) or directly invested in vital infrastructure like roads and railways (39%). Only 28% support increasing the GST to pay off the national debt.
Liberal/National voters were more likely to favour increasing the GST for all purposes. Increasing the GST to invest in hospitals and health services was supported by 66% of Greens voters and 57% of Labor voters.
There were few differences by income – except that 53% of those earning less than $1,000 pw supported raising the GST to invest in aged pensions.
Q. Do you support or oppose the following changes to the GST to cover cuts to funding commitments to the states for schools and hospitals announced in the recent Federal Budget?
| Raising the GST to 12% for all items currently covered |
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
| Total support |
32% |
25% |
45% |
24% |
23% |
|
| Total oppose |
58% |
70% |
46% |
63% |
51% |
|
| Strongly support |
9% |
6% |
16% |
5% |
9% |
|
| Support |
23% |
19% |
29% |
19% |
14% |
|
| Oppose |
19% |
17% |
21% |
14% |
20% |
|
| Strongly oppose |
39% |
53% |
25% |
49% |
31% |
|
| Don’t know |
9% |
5% |
10% |
13% |
12% |
|
| Expanding the GST to cover fresh fruit and vegetables |
Total |
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
| Total support |
18% |
12% |
27% |
11% |
21% |
|
| Total oppose |
75% |
83% |
65% |
83% |
73% |
|
| Strongly support |
5% |
4% |
9% |
– |
8% |
|
| Support |
13% |
8% |
18% |
11% |
13% |
|
| Oppose |
21% |
16% |
27% |
16% |
20% |
|
| Strongly oppose |
54% |
67% |
38% |
67% |
53% |
|
| Don’t know |
7% |
4% |
9% |
6% |
6% |
There was majority opposition to both raising the GST to 12% (58%) and expanding the GST to cover fresh fruit and vegetables (75%).
While there was strong majority opposition to expanding the GST across all voter groups, Liberal/National voters were split over raising the GST to 12% (45% support/46% oppose).