The poll shared with the Mirror shows 64% of people support the idea of hiking taxes on gambling firms – a policy recently championed by the former Labour PM Gordon Brown
A majority of voters back hiking taxes on the profits of gambling firms in order to fight child poverty.
The poll shared with the Mirror shows 64% of people support the idea recently championed by the former Labour Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.
Just 14% of 8,000 surveyed said they would oppose the increased levy on gambling companies to help reduce the number of children in poverty.
The poll by Survation for the campaign group 38 Degrees comes as the government prepares to publish the long-awaited child poverty strategy in the autumn.
Mr Brown – the Chancellor between 1997 and 2007 – said hitting the “massively undertaxed profits” of gambling companies could generate £3.2billion.
He said this could be used to scrap the Tory-era two-child benefit – an austerity policy blamed for trapping hundreds of thousands of kids in poverty.
Last month he said: “Gambling levies aren’t the only source of revenue that could pay to alleviate child poverty. But this should be one straightforward Budget choice.”
Matthew McGregor, CEO of 38 Degrees, said: “The public have told us time and time again that they want to see big gambling companies who are raking in huge profits pay their fair share.
“Now is the chance to make sure that they are finally forced to pay up.”
He added: “Undoing the Tories’ two-child benefit cap with the money raised should be a no-brainer for a Labour government who say they’re focused on child poverty.
“Not only is it the quickest and most cost effective way to lift hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty, our polling shows it’s also backed by the public.”
Joseph Howes, CEO of Buttle UK and Chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition added: “The evidence is clear, the two-child limit pulls 109 children into poverty every day.
“The government’s child poverty strategy will fail if this policy remains.
“No child should have to grow up in a cold, damp home, without a warm winter coat or feeling isolated from their friends because of a lack of money. This government must keep to their word and lift kids out of poverty”.
Rachel Reeves, who will deliver the government’s Budget on November 26, opened the door to a gambling tax hike last month after Mr Brown’s call.
The Chancellor said: “On gambling taxes, we’ve already launched a review into gambling taxes. We’re taking evidence on that at the moment, and again, we’ll set out our policies in the normal way, in our Budget later this year.”
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