The debate over whether the Australian public wants tax cuts or more spending on social services has been highlighted in the media recently in the wake of new surveys on the tax-spend trade-off and the tax cuts in the Budget. In this research paper Richard Grant looks at the results of major surveys on the issue of less tax or more social spending over the past 20 years. He considers the factors that underpin support for each option and examines the date on Australians' willingness to pay for specific items of public expenditure through higher tax. The paper concludes with an assessment of survey results in light of the political and public policy challenges facing Australia.