Australia's high earners are surprisingly magnanimous when it comes to tax. Many think the rich should pay more. They just don't think that applies to them.

The two apparently contradictory positions spell trouble for Wayne Swan as he tries to wind back tax breaks in the May budget.

''We are talking about the top 4 or 5 per cent of earners,'' says David Hetherington, executive director of the Per Capita think tank.

''People earning more than $150,000 are generally well disposed to the proposition that high earners should pay more. Around four in every 10 thought that in our latest survey, but when we ask about their own situation the overwhelming majority think they pay too much.''