A group of 20 leading academics and economists has backed the Rudd government's planned tax on mining's super profits.
The group includes the former head of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Allan Fels.
They say the ongoing debate over the tax has been dominated by misinformation, but it's appropriate for the big miners and government to be negotiating the finer details.
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"They (the miners) are paying the wrong kind of tax, having royalties on production actually deters production." Dr Fels told ABC Radio.
The group says mining differs from other industries in that it uses and depletes natural resources and some return on those resources should flow to the public.
The University of Queensland's John Quiggin was critical of the federal opposition's stance on the tax, claiming it would lead to higher food costs.
"That's about the least defensible," Quiggin said.
"There's no reason at all to think that the tax is going to affect the world price of these minerals, and therefore that that's going to feed in any way into Australian consumer prices.
"It certainly is depressing to see this kind of scare tactic put up, it really is just distorting the debate."
