miners' campaign against tax fails to win voters

Written on the 4 March 2017

A multimillion-dollar advertising campaign waged by a powerful mining lobby has failed to convince a majority of West Australian voters to oppose a $3 billion a year tax on the country's biggest mining companies.

An exclusive ReachTEL poll commissioned by Fairfax Media found 39.4 per cent in favour of the plan by WA Nationals leader Brendon Grylls to lift the mining levy paid by BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto from 25¢ per tonne to $5 per tonne.

The plan, put forward by Mr Grylls as a panacea for the state's troubled finances, was opposed by 37.1 per cent of those polled. Of this, 19.9 per cent were strongly opposed.

Mr Grylls wants to snare the balance of power to force his policy into action, mimicking 2008 when he became political kingmaker and etched his Royalties for Regions program into law.

The poll found Mark McGowan's Labor is within striking distance of securing government, with the Liberal-National government trailing Labor on a two-party preferred basis of 48 to 52 per cent.

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Source: afr.com
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