KEY POINTS:
Tax has re-emerged as one of the biggest concerns for voters in the latest Herald-DigiPoll survey, which also widens the lead National has on Labour to 17.3 points.
Health remains the No 1 issue for 15.9 per cent of respondents and tax cuts and high taxes are the most important issue for 13.7 per cent.
Health has traditionally been the issue of concern to the greatest number of people, with the notable exception being in polls just after the so-called "chewing gum Budget" of 2005 and before the election that year, when tax was the top issue.
Since then, the tax issue has faded and in the DigiPoll survey in February it was the fifth most pressing issue, rated only by 5.6 per cent of respondents.
But the issue has been reignited since the Australian Budget three weeks ago, which cut personal tax for the fifth consecutive year, and the New Zealand Budget two weeks ago, which featured an expansion of the KiwiSaver scheme and abandoned the "chewing gum" measures previously promised to index personal tax rates against inflation. The expansion of KiwiSaver involves compulsory contributions by employers, offset by a tax credit of up to $20 a week, and a separate contribution to an individual's fund by the Government of up to another $20.
It is estimated to cost $1.2 billion over the next four years. New employees will be automatically signed up to a scheme but existing employees will have to opt in.
Much of the national debate around the Budget has been about the expectation that employees will forgo pay increases to fund the employer contribution to KiwiSaver, and the constraints it may place on tax cuts.
Finance Minister Michael Cullen has said he will give indications next year about tax cuts in future years.
While the tax issue has re-emerged, interest in the environment has waned.
Only 2.1 per cent of people see the environment as the most important issue, compared to 9.4 per cent in the February poll.
Law and order rates third, followed by education, the economy, family and social issues, house prices and the anti-smacking bill.
Asked about the Budget specifically, only 10.9 per cent of respondents believed they would be better off, 16.8 per cent believed they would be worse off and 57.7 per cent said it would make no difference to them.
More people (38.9 per cent) believed that the economy would do worse in the next 12 months than believed it would do better (27.3 per cent).