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We investigate the real-world impact of the UK tax and legal system, expose avoidance and abuse, and propose practical reforms.

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37 ways Andy Burnham could raise £4.7bn
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Why the UK should reject citizenship-based Why the UK should reject citizenship-based taxation Andy Burnham, the tax gap, and Andy Burnham, the tax gap, and raising £15bn without a tax rise Nigel Farage’s £5m gift Nigel Farage’s £5m gift: why tax is probably not due Has Britain run out of “other people” to tax? Has Britain run out of “other people” to tax? Venables prosecution The Venables prosecution – Tax Policy Associates
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Jul 7, 2026 Policy

Taxing British citizens abroad: why a passport tax won’t work

If you’re a US citizen then you pay US tax wherever in the world you live. Americans can’t escape the US tax system simply by moving abroad; they have to give up their citizenship. The Liberal Democrats and others have suggested the UK should adopt something similar: a “passport tax” on British citizens living overseas. […]
Cash is our preferred method of payment
Jul 1, 2026 Analysis

How Andy Burnham could raise £15bn – without a tax rise.

It’s the UK’s biggest and least discussed tax problem. There’s between £30bn and £48bn missing from each year’s small business tax bills. It’s been getting worse – and nobody knows why. There’s no other issue where so much money is at stake but so little time is spent discussing it. It’s almost never mentioned by […]
redacted tax return
Jun 26, 2026 Analysis

The Palace’s fake tax transparency — and the Prince of Wales’ real tax problem

The Royal Household has, for the first time, disclosed how much voluntary “tax” the King pays: £12.9m for 2024/25, £11.7m for 2023/24, and a little over £5.4m for the six months of 2022/23 in which he was King. The documents also continue the practice of disclosing the Prince of Wales’ tax: £7.76m for 2024/25, £8.34m […]
CGT over time - the chart looks like someone having a heart attaack
Jun 18, 2026 Policy

The history of UK capital gains tax in five charts

This article looks at the history of UK capital gains tax, and how revenues have changed when the rate and rules changed. There’s a separate article on reforming CGT here. The chart at the top of this page shows what happens if you plot UK capital gains tax revenues as a % of GDP since […]
Who benefits from the VAT cut? Micro up to 9 employees Small £1,900m 10-49 employees £2,280m McDonald's £432m Mitchells & Butlers ee 248m aE Whitbread £238m Medium —— soo King 50-249 employees Ss Wetherspoon £1,470m Ps WS £194m Other larg 250+ employees £2,014m Compass KFC Stonegate Domino's Uber Eats fees Nando's Deliveroo fees Just Eat fees IHG hotels Greggs Marriott hotels Accor hotels @ Hilton hotels
Jun 12, 2026 Policy

The £12bn VAT cut for hospitality. Who really benefits?

The hospitality industry is lobbying for a VAT cut from 20% to 10%. The political case is simple and compelling: save pubs, restaurants, cafés and hotels; protect jobs; save high streets. The campaign says it’s self-funding and pro-growth. The reality is different. It’s a hugely expensive subsidy, likely costing more than £12bn a year. 45% […]
Telegraph headline: Chancellor’s stamp duty raid backfires as sales slump
Jun 9, 2026 Policy

Why do we still have stamp duty?

The Housing select committee has said stamp duty does economic damage and should be reformed. The Telegraph says the stamp duty increase last year “backfired”: transactions slumped, and receipts fell with them. I wish that was right, because there would then be an easy argument to reverse the increase, and even abolish the tax. But […]
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