Even Tory voters support a mansion tax

With the issue of housing costs finally climbing higher up the agenda of the media, albeit scandalously late, it is interesting to note that public support is at odds with the views of much of the mainstream press.

The Lib Dem's mansion tax - including the suggestion of it being extended to second-homes - is now supported by Ed Miliband's Labour Party. The prospect of the two parties voting together on the issue (however symbolic that may be) is now a distinct possibility, with Clegg's suggestion that the Tory Party is 'turning a blind eye to the super-wealthy' a sign of things to come.

The right-wing media has - as would be expected - criticised such a policy, even while finally admitting, hypocritically, that housing costs are getting out of control for the majority.

A poll by YouGov, however, shows that voters have a different view. Two-thirds of British people support a mansion tax on properties worth over £2 million, with a majority in favour of the tax to be extended to properties valued at over £1 million.

On balance, Conservative voters also favour a tax on £2 million houses.

That even Tory voters support the concept of a mansion tax shouldn't be surprising. Previous polls have demonstrated that Conservative voters (unlike the MPs and other leaders they elect) tend to support higher taxes on the rich, regulation of internships, a higher minimum wage and a host of other policies that the right-wing press vilifies.