A national poll of 1502 voters, conducted by YouGov, found more than three in five Australians support a flat 25% tax on gas exports.
Separate polls in the seats of Kooyong, Mackellar, Wentworth and Farrer, conducted by uComms, found that more than two out of three voters support a flat 25% tax on gas exports.
Voters were told such a tax could raise around $17 billion a year. An overwhelming majority said that money should be spent improving health and aged care services.
In the national poll, a gas export tax was most popular among One Nation and Greens voters.
Key points:
- In the national poll, 61% of voters agreed gas export companies should pay a 25% gas export tax. 5% disagreed.
- In the seats of Kooyong, Mackellar, Wentworth and Farrer, between 68% and 75% of voters agree gas export corporations should pay a 25% gas export tax. Between 7% and 16% disagree.
- In all polls, the most popular choice for where revenue from a gas export tax should be spent was health/aged care.
"It's clear Australians think that making foreign owned gas companies pay for our gas isn't an issue of left or right, but a simple issue of fairness," said Dr Richard Denniss, co-CEO of The Australia Institute.
"As petrol and electricity prices rise, the idea that gas export companies will make enormous windfall profits while Australians struggle with higher energy prices and interest rates is as untenable as it is unnecessary.
"Australians have cottoned onto the face that beer drinkers pay more in excise than gas exporters pay in Petroleum Resources Rent Tax. They know students pay more in HECS repayments than gas exporters pay in tax.
"A gas export tax would also give gas export companies a big incentive to divert gas to Australians, as the easiest way to avoid an export tax would be to sell the gas domestically. This would lead to increased supply and lower prices for Australians.
"Last week we learned that Labor is exploring ways to tax gas exports. But if the Liberal and National parties aren't willing to listen to voters on policy ideas like a gas export tax, then it's unlikely they'll ever regain the support they've been shedding in recent years. Putting the interests of Australian taxpayers ahead of gas export companies is not just good for the budget, it will almost inevitably be good at the ballot box as well."
