Well, at least half of you don't like the idea. Polling firm Abacus Data Inc. finds that a majority of Canadians are opposed to the Conservative government plan's to continue with a new round of corporate tax cuts. I wonder if this finding might explain why more than half-a-dozen cabinet ministers had fanned out across the country to sell the idea of tax breaks for what they call “job creators” not corporations.
The poll came out after I blogged about some of the political ins-and-outs of the corporate tax debate. I say these results put a little wind in the Liberal sails.
Abacus completed an online survey of more than 1,100 Canadians between Jan. 21 and Jan. 24 and reports the following:
Respondents were first asked whether Canada’s corporate tax rates were too high, too low, or about right. The results yielded a nearly even four-way split.
“Canadians, on average, don’t know much about what Canadian corporations pay in tax relative to those in other countries,” said David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data.
Once respondents were made aware of Canada’s tax position relative to the United States, Germany, Japan, and Britain, two statements were presented – the federal government’s argument and the opposition parties’ argument.
“This finding suggests that as Canadians become aware of how low Canada's tax rates are compared to other countries, it may become more difficult to convince them to support them.”
“Right now, public opinion is firmly aligned with the opposition parties,” said Coletto. “Only 21% of respondents buy the job creation argument when given the alternative to spend more on health care or to reduce the deficit.”
The survey then asked Canadians if they support or oppose the government’s plan to continue with the corporate tax cuts. In total, 52% strongly or somewhat oppose the government’s plan, while 26% support or strongly support it.
“Partisanship does drive opinion to some extent,” said Coletto. “But not all Conservative Party supporters support the government’s decision to continue with the tax cut so the Conservative government has some work to do to shore up its base and convince undecided voters of the merit of its policies.”