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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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UK has 90 taxes. Here they The UK has 90 taxes. Here they all are – Tax Policy Associates UK has 90 taxes. Here they The UK has 90 taxes. Here they all are – Tax Policy Associates UK has 85 taxes. Here they The UK has 85 taxes. Here they all are – Tax Policy Associates How to reform stamp duty on How to reform stamp duty on shares. Abolish it. – Tax Policy Associates Nigel Farage’s £5m gift Nigel Farage’s £5m gift: why tax is probably not due
A Jenga tower
May 28, 2026 Analysis

90 UK taxes. On one chart.

The UK has 90 taxes. This chart shows them all, and this article explains why we have so many. The chart is interactive: click on a segment or category to drill down. The control underneath switches between pounds, % of GDP and % of all tax take. Data is for 2024/25, and the full methodology […]
Photo of Nigel Farage in the House of Commons
May 20, 2026 Investigations

Nigel Farage probably doesn’t owe tax on his £5m gift

Christopher Harborne, a British-Thai billionaire, gave Nigel Farage £5m in 2024. Genuine gifts are usually tax-free. However, Mr Farage has recently described the £5m as a “reward” for campaigning for Brexit. That raises some complex tax issues, and HMRC may investigate the circumstances of the payment. But, on the facts currently available, our conclusion is […]
Iain Stamp claiming to have made $600m of fraudulent US tax refund claims
May 17, 2026 Investigations

The British fugitive, his $600m US tax fraud, and its 3,000 victims

Iain Clifford Stamp told his followers the IRS owed them millions. Not because they had paid US tax, or because they had US investments. But because they had once signed mortgages, loans and credit-card agreements here in the UK. Stamp says his organisation filed claims for 3,000 people, worth $600 million. The IRS froze the […]
Angela Rayner
May 14, 2026 Analysis

Why did HMRC not charge Angela Rayner a penalty?

UPDATED 5pm: We have now spoken to Graham Aaronson KC, who advised Angela Rayner. He says that HMRC’s decision is explained by facts not apparent from Sir Laurie Magnus’s report. We have reflected his account below. But Ms Rayner’s team is not releasing the underlying documents, and we cannot accept the word of one party […]
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May 14, 2026 Investigations

Liberty Rock’s claim that a magic cheque can pay your tax

A business called Liberty Rock is marketing a bizarre tax “solution”: supposedly paying your tax by sending HMRC a “magic cheque” which claims to be a bill of exchange. HMRC has issued a “tax fraud” warning about these schemes. We agree: this looks like fraud. We are publishing full details of the Liberty Rock scheme, […]
Lee Valley marina
May 11, 2026 Investigations

Zack Polanski’s boat: if his “home”, he failed to pay council tax. If only there “occasionally”, he broke electoral law.

Zack Polanski and his partner lived on a boat for three years, and described it as their “amazing home”. Mr Polanski was registered to vote at a nearby bungalow. If, as seems likely, that was his main residence, then Mr Polanski and his partner should have paid council tax there – but they didn’t. Mr […]
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