ANU Poll shows Australians are divided over government debt »

ANUpoll clearly shows Australians are open to the idea of tax reform, as long as any changes are fair to all levels of society. A new poll from The Australian National University (ANU) has found Australians are divided on the importance of government debt, with just less than half believing it to be the most important economic issue facing Australia. The latest ANUpoll also found people prefer the government to spend more on social services rather than cut personal taxes, with strong support for more spending on health, education, aged care, domestic violence prevention and aged care. The ANUpoll found 60 per cent of Australians believe the current tax system is fair, although Australians believe low-income, older people and families with children pay too much tax while high income earners, large companies and multinationals don't pay enough. The ANUpoll on Tax and Equity in Australia, comes a week before the Turnbull government delivers its first budget, and ahead of national elections increasingly likely for early July. "The ANUpoll finds the importance of reducing government debt is a polarising issue in Australia, but the findings on taxation could challenge conventional wisdom on what Australians really want from their governments," said Associate Professor Ben Phillips, from the ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods.