Support for tax reforms
Q: Would you support or oppose the following tax reforms to raise more funds for Government services and infrastructure?
|
|
Total support |
Total oppose |
|
Strongly support |
Support |
Oppose |
Strongly oppose |
Don’t know |
|
Support Jul 2015 |
Support Feb 2016 |
|
| Stop companies and wealthy people using legal loopholes in minimise tax payments by sending funds offshore | 86% | 5% | 65% | 21% | 3% | 2% | 8% | na | na | |||
| Force multinational companies to pay a minimum tax rate on Australian earnings | 80% | 9% | 55% | 25% | 6% | 3% | 11% | 79% | 78% | |||
| Increase income tax rate for high earners | 65% | 23% | 32% | 33% | 16% | 7% | 11% | 63% | 64% | |||
| Remove superannuation tax concessions for high earners | 62% | 25% | 29% | 33% | 14% | 11% | 13% | 59% | 58% | |||
| Remove negative gearing | 39% | 35% | 17% | 22% | 20% | 15% | 27% | 37% | 37% | |||
| Remove GST exemptions (e.g. on food, education) | 37% | 54% | 13% | 24% | 22% | 32% | 9% | 33% | 32% | |||
| Replace stamp duty with land tax | 33% | 33% | 10% | 23% | 19% | 14% | 35% | 26% | 26% | |||
| Increase the GST | 27% | 66% | 6% | 21% | 29% | 37% | 7% | 24% | 23% | |||
There was strong majority support for stopping companies and wealthy people using legal loopholes in minimise tax payments by sending funds offshore (86%), forcing multinational companies to pay a minimum tax rate on Australian earnings (80%), increasing income tax rate for high earners (65%) and removing superannuation tax concessions for high earners (62%).
There was strong majority opposition to increasing the GST (66%).
Tax reforms
Q. Would you support or oppose the following tax reforms to raise more funds for Government services and infrastructure?
| Total support | Total oppose | Strongly support | Support | Oppose | Strongly oppose | Don’t know | ||
| Force multinational companies to pay a minimum tax rate on Australian earnings | 76% | 8% | 43% | 33% | 5% | 3% | 15% | |
| Increase income tax rate for high earners | 65% | 23% | 27% | 38% | 17% | 6% | 12% | |
| Remove superannuation tax concessions for high earners | 55% | 25% | 26% | 29% | 17% | 8% | 20% | |
| Remove negative gearing | 33% | 30% | 12% | 21% | 18% | 12% | 37% | |
| Replace stamp duty with land tax | 24% | 34% | 4% | 20% | 19% | 15% | 43% | |
| Remove GST exemptions (e.g. food) | 36% | 51% | 15% | 21% | 25% | 26% | 13% | |
| Increase the GST | 19% | 70% | 4% | 15% | 33% | 37% | 11% | |
| Tax on inheritances from wills | 13% | 74% | 3% | 10% | 31% | 43% | 13% |
There was strong majority support for forcing multinational companies to pay a minimum tax rate on Australian earnings (76%), increasing income tax rate for high earners (65%) and removing superannuation tax concessions for high earners (55%).
There was strong majority opposition to a tax on inheritances from wills (74%) and increasing the GST (70%).
Tax reform
Q. For each of the following proposals around tax reform, please indicate whether you strongly support, support, oppose or strongly oppose the suggestion.
| Total Support | Total Oppose | Strongly support | Support | Oppose | Strongly Oppose | Don’t know | ||
| Decreasing income tax for low income earners | 81% | 11% | 34% | 47% | 8% | 3% | 7% | |
| Improving tax breaks for small-medium business | 76% | 10% | 20% | 56% | 7% | 3% | 13% | |
| Increasing the mining tax | 47% | 37% | 16% | 31% | 22% | 15% | 16% | |
| Abolishing negative gearing on new property purchases | 33% | 37% | 8% | 25% | 20% | 17% | 29% | |
| Cutting the company tax rate | 32% | 41% | 6% | 26% | 29% | 12% | 28% | |
| Repealing the fringe benefits tax | 30% | 28% | 7% | 23% | 19% | 9% | 42% | |
| Increasing the carbon tax | 19% | 68% | 5% | 14% | 21% | 47% | 13% | |
| Introducing an inheritance tax | 10% | 75% | 3% | 7% | 24% | 51% | 15% | |
| Increasing the goods and services tax (GST) | 9% | 84% | 1% | 8% | 31% | 53% | 7% |
Decreasing income tax for low income earners has the strongest support from respondents, with 81% either strongly supporting or supporting the suggestion. Improving tax breaks for small-medium business also attracted a similar amount of endorsement (76% total support).
Increasing the mining tax has a significant amount of support (47% total support).
Whilst the proposed reforms of abolishing negative gearing on new property purchases and cutting the company tax rate attracted a significant amount of support, more respondents are opposed to these measures than in favour of them: with 37% opposed to abolishing negative gearing and 41% opposed to cutting the company tax rate.
Strongest opposition is registered against the proposal to increase the GST, with 84% opposed to the idea and only 9% in favour of it. Introducing an inheritance tax is similarly unpopular (75% total opposed).
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