Three-fifths of voters agree with Miliband – Tory donors must answer tax questions

Voters overwhelmingly back Ed Miliband’s belief that major Conservative Party donors must answer questions about how much tax they pay in the UK. Polling by ComRes for ITV News shows 61% agree with the statement “Ed Miliband is right to question how much tax donors to the Conservative party pay”. Only 20% disagree.

The Labour leader has gone hard on the question of Tory donors and tax in the wake of the HSBC tax avoidance scandal, in which Conservative peer and financial backer Lord Fink was implicated. Fink went so far to claim that everyone avoids tax. Since then, it has transpired that there are more major Tory donors who use the Swiss arm of the bank.

29% said they did not care how much tax a political party donor pays, whereas 51% disagreed. A huge three-quarter (74%) said they believe it is morally wrong for people to avoid tax, suggesting there is huge potential for Labour in stoking the row further.

On Saturday, Ed Miliband made a speech outlining what a Labour Government would do to tackle tax avoidance. Looking at this polling, expect to hear more from Labour on this topic over the coming months.