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A vast majority of voters (82 per cent) oppose any increase in the tax burden, according to a new poll.

The survey found that almost half of those questioned (44 per cent) would like the party they support to promise tax cuts and 40 per cent would be more likely to vote for a party if it signed a pledge not to increase taxes.

Around two-thirds of those taking part in the poll for the TaxPayers' Alliance, which campaigns for lower taxation, said the Government spent too much money, and a similar majority (65 per cent) said public cash poured into health and education over the past decade had been badly spent.

Almost two-thirds (63 per cent) thought that few senior politicians had the necessary experience and expertise to run major public services, and 62 per cent said that Britain's system of government could be improved "a great deal".

The survey, carried out ahead of the political conference season, suggests a significant turnaround compared with the 1990s, when voters regularly voiced their readiness to pay more tax for better public services.

In this poll, just 6 per cent said they would like to see taxes rise and 38 per cent think they should be held at their present level. But 79 per cent said they expected their overall tax burden to be higher in three years.

It comes at a time when Conservative leader David Cameron is resisting pressure from his grassroots to promise tax cuts.

Although he insists the Tories remain a tax-cutting party, he has insisted he will not promise uncosted upfront reductions in tax in the run-up to the next General Election. Shadow Chancellor George Osborne recently pledged to match Labour's public spending plans for each of the next three years.

But the TaxPayers' Alliance survey found 85 per cent of Tory supporters - and half of those who identified themselves as Labour backers - thought the Government spent too much.

Around three-quarters of those questioned (77 per cent) thought a fair rate of tax was 25 per cent of household income - compared with the 35 per cent currently levied on the average household. Council tax was seen as the most unfair tax and the top priority for cuts.

YouGov questioned 2,162 adults for the TaxPayers' Alliance.