Tory voters support tax rise to fund NHS, poll shows
MOST Conservative voters back higher taxes to fund the NHS, the
British Social Attitudes Survey has found.
The polling, carried out by the National Centre for Social Research, found that 53 per cent of Conservative Party supporters think the Government should increase taxes and spending on public services.
It marks a departure from data showing that for more than 15 years, most Conservatives have said taxes should either fall or stay the same.
This year 60 per cent of respondents backed the policy, the highest level of support since 2002, in figures that analysts said showed voters were “tiring of austerity”.
The study, carried out last year, suggests a significant shift in public attitudes, with support levels up from 48 per cent in 2016.
The most recent figures show that 54 per cent of supporters of both of the main political parties said that higher taxes should go to fund healthcare as a priority, though younger interviewees were particularly likely to favour higher spending on education.
Older voters were more likely to favour a focus on health, with 59 per cent of over-55s naming this as a priority, compared with 47 per cent of younger respondents.
Overseas aid was the least popular option for spending extra money, with just two per cent of respondents in the youngest age group saying it was a priority.
Earlier this year the Prime Minister said a tax rise would be necessary to pay for a £20billion budget boost for the NHS.
“Taxpayers will have to contribute a bit more in a fair and balanced way to support the NHS we all use,” she said in a speech in June.
A green paper, which is due to come out later this year, will set out the Government’s plan for funding social care.
Roger Harding, Natcen’s head of public attitudes, said: “Since 2010 the proportion of people who want more tax and spend has nearly doubled and shows that the country is clearly tiring of austerity.
“The question for the Government is whether its recent spending announcements have done enough to meet public demand for more public investment, including now from a majority of their own voters.”