The Covid-19 outbreak has led to an unprecedented economic crisis in many advanced democracies. GDP growth has plummeted and unemployment has sharply risen. Governments have supported massive job retention packages and other economic measures. Income inequality is likely to rise for the next few years. One of the key challenges in the post-Covid world will be to get the public finances in balance again. As we know from previous research, wide public support is needed in order to raise taxes and/or pay for social benefit programs. In this paper we investigate how different frames and aspects of the current Covid crisis affect public attitudes towards taxing and spending. On the basis of income-maximising and risk-based theories of redistribution preferences, we assess whether an exogenous shock like the Covid crisis can generate a new coalition in support for different forms of taxation and spending: progressive income taxation and wealth taxes on the one hand, as well as spending on health and employment. The hypotheses are tested using original survey experiments in the US and the UK, two countries particularly affected by the pandemic.