TL;DR
- A YouGov poll shows 69% of people believe raising income tax below £50,270 would breach Labour’s election promise.
- Only 34% view tax rises on the highest earners as a broken promise, with 46% of 2024 Labour voters more accepting of such measures.
- A significant portion of respondents (27%-36%) chose ‘don’t know’ regarding potential tax changes, highlighting uncertainty among voters.
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With all the talk around the budget now mentioning tax rises – and Labour promising they wouldn’t do so in the election campaign – it is unsurprising to see polling companies ask the public for their thoughts.
That’s just what YouGov has done, surveying 2,109 people last week.
They found that 69% of people think raising income tax at the lowest band – below £50,270 – would be considered a broken promise.
This falls to 45% thinking it’s a broken promise if the £50,270 to £125,140 band is increased, and 34% for the highest band.
YouGov said: “It is worth noting that relatively high numbers of people – 27% to 36% – answered ‘don’t know’ to these questions, and this is even more the case for the alternative proposals for adjusting tax rules that have been trailed in the papers.”
They added: “When it comes to those voters who backed the government last year, there is more willingness to see these measures as technically within the spirit of Labour’s promises.
“This is particularly the case when it comes to raising tax on the highest earners, which 46% of 2024 Labour voters say would not be a broken promise.”
Unsurprisingly, higher earners are less fond of tax rises for higher income bands, polling found.
Older people are also more likely to have a dim view of tax rises – although a sizeable chunk of younger voters fall into the “don’t know category” than actively backing higher rates.