Public don’t want tax cuts Truss and Sunak are promising, poll reveals
Most of the public are not demanding taxes are cut, and more than a quarter actually want them to increase in order to spend more on public services, a new Observer poll has revealed.
Despite a Tory leadership contest dominated by the timing of tax cuts, the latest Opinium poll found no great clamour for them, with concerns around the funding of schools and the NHS heading into the autumn.
About a third (34%) say taxes and spending on public services should remain at current levels, while 26% think there should be an increase in tax to increase funding. Only 22% said that taxes should be reduced and less spent on public services.
The lack of enthusiasm was also apparent among those who voted Conservative at the last election, with 41% saying they wanted to see levels remain as they are now. Meanwhile, 27% want to see a cut in taxes and 22% want to see an increase.
Liz Truss, the frontrunner to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister, has promised an immediate programme of tax cuts costing about £30bn, reversing the increase in national insurance contributions and ditching a planned increase in corporation tax. Rishi Sunak has said business tax cuts will be prioritised and pledged a 1p income tax cut in 2024 – but wants to calm inflation first.
The tone of the debate is causing despair in Whitehall, with the candidates battling it out as the threat of recession and rising living costs continue to mount. “What was Westminster’s response? Poorly managed government, months of PM fratricide, and now a farcical leadership debate dominated by fantasy tax promises – which will produce a weak, ill-suited new Truss government that cannot handle the autumn tsunami coming,” said one Whitehall source.
Senior Tories have warned that Truss’s
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