Some Brits Are Ready to Raise the Tax for Nurses – Is That a Good Idea?
Maybe you thought the NHS was just about nursing scrubs and endless sugar‑dust! Turns out the public is so invested in their healthcare champions that 64 % of them say they would happily bump up their own tax bills to pad nurses’ pay.
Survey Snapshot (Savanta, 2024)
- NHS Nurses: 64 % support, 27 % oppose, 9 % undecided
- Police: 49 % support, 38 % oppose
- Teachers: 48 % support, 41 % oppose
- Armed Forces: 46 % support, 41 % oppose
- Infrastructure Projects: 42 % happy to pay more, 44 % unhappy
Political Party Breakdown
Even the Conservative voters aren’t shy: 49 % of the 2024 Conservative pollsters want higher tax to elevate nurses’ wages. All four main parties – Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Reform UK – echo this sentiment across their supporters.
Who Does the Tax Actually Touch?
The public is less comfortable when it comes to general taxes like VAT or National Insurance. Instead, they expect a more targeted approach, favoring increases in capital gains tax (now at 62 %, up from 60 %) and inheritance tax (currently at 60 %, up from 56 %).
Why This Matters
With a strong public mandate, policymakers might feel a green light to propose higher taxes – but the conversation isn’t just about numbers. It’s a story of whose job is worth more and how society chooses to pay for it.
Bottom Line
There’s a clear tilt toward paying more for nurses than for other groups, while our civic tax palate prefers more “niche” taxes over broad-based ones. Whether this pushes the needle toward a better NHS pay structure remains to be seen — but the public’s voice is loud enough to make a case.
