ComRes / Daily Mail Pre-Budget Poll

Poll for Daily Mail on support for Budget policies

SIZE OF WELFARE CUTS AND CUTTING TOP RATE OF TAX UNPOPULAR

As George Osborne prepares to give his first Budget statement as a Chancellor in a Conservative government, a ComRes poll for the Daily Mail reveals that six in ten (57%) Britons oppose the potential £12 billion cut to welfare spending. However, the policy is supported by half (52%) of Conservative supporters, although 43% oppose it. Just a quarter (24%) of Labour supporters support the cut.

A tax cut for top rate tax payers is the least popular policy tested, with just a third (33%) of Britons saying they support cutting the rate from 45p to 40p for those earning over £150,000. Six in ten (61%) oppose the tax cut. Even among Conservative supporters, more oppose the tax cut than support it (57% and 39% respectively).

Increasing the inheritance tax threshold to £1 million is fairly divisive with 53% supporting the policy and 39% opposing it. Though it is supported by six in ten Conservatives (61%), and fewer than half of Labour voters (46%).

Raising the threshold for the 20p rate of income tax would be popular, with eight in ten (80%) Britons supporting the idea and just 16% opposing it.

Tom Mludzinski, Director of Political Polling, ComRes said: “Perceptions of competence and economic management were key reasons behind the Conservatives’ recent election victory and that credibility will no doubt be closely guarded. We may be seeing George Osborne making the unpopular decisions early on, before turning to a different approach as the next General Election approaches. Politically, the Chancellor will not want to scare off any new voters they attracted as a result of the Liberal Democrat collapse and those who could not bring themselves to vote for Ed Miliband’s Labour Party.”

 

Q: Do you support or oppose each of the following?

 

	Support	Oppose	Don’t know
Cutting £12 billion of government spending on welfare	37%	57%	6%
Increasing the amount people earn before paying the basic 20p rate of income tax	80%	16%	5%
Cutting the top rate of tax on people earning over £150,000 from 45p to 40p	33%	61%	5%
Increasing the amount at which people would have to start paying inheritance tax on a property to £1 million	53%	39%	7%

Base: All GB adults (n=1,002).

Date Published: 8th July 2015

Categories: Economy | Economy | Finance | GB | GE2015 | Media | Public and communities | Voting Intention

Client: Daily Mail

Methodology

ComRes interviewed 1,002 GB adults by telephone between 26th and 28th June 2015. Data were weighted to be demographically representative of all GB adults. Data were also weighted by past vote recall. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

1. Daily-Mail_ComRes-June-Political-Poll_Tables_080715 0.02 MB.