But Australians are sceptical that cutting penalty rates on Sundays will mean more businesses will open, while three-quarters of voters believe real estate tax concessions should be cut or left alone.

The company-tax-cut findings, contained in an exclusive Fairfax-Ipsos poll, will give heart to the federal government as it negotiates with the crossbench to try to pass the centrepiece of its 2016 budget –a 10-year plan to reduce the tax rate from 30 per cent to 25 per cent by 2026-27.

The government is likely to secure support for a cut for companies with a turnover of up to $10 million from the Nick Xenophon Team; One Nation and other Senate crossbenchers have indicated they could move up to $50 million.

Labor will back a cut only for companies with a turnover of up to $2 million, while the Greens do not support the lowering of the rate from 30 to 27.5 per cent.

But 44 per cent of voters told Fairfax Media they supported a company tax cut to 25 per cent over a decade, while 39 per cent opposed the move, despite a fierce campaign by Labor against the measure.

Support for the plan was clearly split along party lines; 67 per cent of Coalition voters backed the plan and just 19 per cent opposed it.

Among Labor voters, 34 per cent backed it and 49 per cent opposed the cut. For Greens voters, just 22 per cent backed a cut whereas 64 per cent opposed it.

The government has avoided saying whether it would keep the plan on the books after the 2017 budget. Removing it would mean the government did not have to forgo as much as $43 billion in revenue.

On penalty rates, the Fairfax-Ipsos poll asked if the reduction in Sunday and public holiday rates would increase the number of businesses opening on those days, or make no difference.

Sixty-three per cent of Australians surveyed suggested the change would make no difference, while 29 per cent thought it could increase the number of businesses that open.

Among Coalition voters, 44 per cent said the Fair Work Commission's decision would increase opening hours, whereas just 21 per cent of Labor voters and 19 per cent of Greens agreed with that proposition.

Those findings come after the Turnbull government on Friday hand-balled responsibility for protecting people facing penalty rate cuts to the commission, making no suggestion on how the pay packets of those affected could be protected.

Analysis from the Australia Institute, released on Sunday, found cuts to penalty rates for low-paid workers could blow a $650 million hole in the federal government's budget bottom line.

On housing affordability, 35 per cent of people surveyed thought tax concessions for real estate investors should be reduced, 40 per cent said they should remain the same and 19 per cent said the concessions should be increased.

Labor's policy is to reduce capital gains and negative gearing tax breaks, which the government has ferociously campaigned against. However, some in government believe changes to capital gains tax concessions should be on the table.

Reducing tax concessions for housing was most popular with people aged over 55, and least popular (24 per cent) for people aged 18 to 24.

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