This reflects the political orthodoxy that voters are essentially self-seeking. Give them a tax cut and they’ll give you their vote, to hell with the deficit.
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And there was a time when most voters did behave accordingly. But that’s ancient history. It changed decades ago.
The pollsters asked a representative sample of 1200 voters: “Given the choice, would you prefer that the Government used extra revenue to provide income tax cuts or to pay off government debt?”
Fifty-seven per cent preferred that the government pay off debt. Thirty-seven per cent went for the tax cut.
Interestingly, it’s the Coalition’s own voters who feel strongest about this – 68 per cent prefer a smaller national debt than a tax cut.
But a majority of Labor v…
Read the full article at: https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/why-do-politicians-refuse-to-believe-decades-of-polling-and-research-20180513-p4zf2q.html