On the face of it, the big business lobby group, the Business Council of Australia, looks like it was caught out in a very embarrassing lie on Tuesday when a secret survey of its members suggested most will use the tax cuts to increase shareholder returns or invest in the business.

This runs contrary to the sales hype from the government and the BCA, which have been assuring the community that tax cuts for big business will lift both employment and wages.

It couldn’t have come at a worse time for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull who is trying to lure two more senators to support the tax package.

Labor has also now stepped up its opposition to the tax change saying it will be repealed if it wins office.

The now-abandoned survey of BCA members, undertaken in January, found more than 80 per cent said they would either invest the proceeds of a tax cut back in the company or boost returns to shareholders.