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Almost two-thirds of 2019 Conservative voters prefer
proposals for a VAT cut to the governmenet's policy, a new poll
finds.
A Yonder survey of 2,000 British adults, carried out between 10
and 11 January for the RSA thinktank as part of its Economic
Security Observatory, finds:
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Energy bills are a concern for most households: just 19% could
afford a 40% rise.
- 81%
say that cutting VAT on energy bills would benefit their family,
including 85% of people who voted Conservative at the 2019
general election.
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Asked whether they would prefer a universalist approach like
cutting VAT (as proposed by Labour), or targeted help (as
proposed by the Prime Minister), 58% of the public would prefer
cutting VAT, rising to 62% of 2019 Conservative voters. Meanwhile
29% of the public, and 26% of Conservatives, prefer a targeted
approach. Just 4% of the public and 5% of 2019 Tories believe the
state should not intervene in energy markets.
The public do not think green taxes are behind rising energy
costs: 49% blame the crisis primarily on the rising cost of
natural gas, 26% on profit-seeking by energy companies, and just
12% on green levies.
But there are warning signs that economic insecurity could start
to reduce support for the green agenda, the RSA warns: 61% of
Brits say the cost-of-living is a higher priority for them at
present than decarbonisation.
The RSA calls for a carbon levy which would redistribute money
from the wealthiest and most polluting households to those on
low-and-middle incomes: 51% would support such a policy, the
survey finds.
Alan Lockey, head of the RSA’s future
of work programme, said:
“With economic insecurity so widespread — our survey shows 81% of
Brits are concerned they cannot afford the coming hike in energy
bills — we can’t limit help to just a few households if we want
to maintain support for the essential move to
decarbonisation.
“Measures like a tax cut are a step forward, but ultimately
we should move to a carbon levy if we want to cut emissions, help
the most vulnerable, and ensure the shift
to net-zero benefits ordinary families.”
