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Level of tax

10 Mar 2015

Q.  Do you think the following pay too much tax, not enough tax or about the right amount?

*DPN = Don’t pay enough

Total

Labor voters

Lib/Nat voters

Pay too much

DPN

Pay about right 

Don’t know

Pay too much

DPN

Pay about right 

Don’t know

Pay too much

DPN

Pay about right 

Don’t know

Large
business

3%

64%

14%

19%

3%

72%

8%

17%

3%

60%

21%

16%

Small
business

41%

6%

34%

19%

39%

8%

40%

14%

43%

6%

36%

15%

People on
low incomes

47%

5%

36%

13%

57%

4%

30%

9%

34%

6%

48%

12%

People on average incomes

43%

5%

41%

11%

52%

4%

36%

8%

33%

7%

50%

10%

People on
high incomes

10%

59%

19%

12%

9%

66%

17%

8%

9%

56%

25%

11%

You
personally

36%

4%

47%

13%

40%

4%

45%

11%

29%

5%

53%

13%

Mining companies

4%

67%

12%

17%

3%

75%

9%

13%

4%

63%

18%

15%

Retirees
on large incomes

15%

29%

30%

26%

15%

33%

29%

22%

14%

26%

38%

23%

Large intl companies (such as Google & Apple)

2%

73%

8%

18%

2%

74%

8%

16%

2%

73%

10%

15%

Religious
organisation

5%

53%

16%

26%

4%

54%

15%

27%

5%

53%

21%

21%

From the groups listed, people on low income (47%), small businesses (41%) and people on average incomes (43%) were the groups respondents were most likely to think pay too much tax.

More than half of respondents believe that ‘large international companies’ (73%), ‘large businesses’ (64%), ‘mining companies’ (67%), and ‘religious organisations’ (53%) do not pay enough tax.

Overall, Labor voters were more likely than Liberal voters to think the following groups pay too much tax – low incomes (Labor 57%/LNP34%), average incomes (52%/33%) and ‘you personally’ (40%/29%). Labor voters were also more likely to think the following don’t pay enough tax – large businesses (72%/60%), people on high incomes (66%/56%) and mining companies (75%/63%).

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