Posts tagged "Infographics"
Satellite image of the UK
Jul 12, 2026 Analysis

What would a land value tax actually do?

I just wrote in the Sunday Times about the political and economic case for a land value tax. I think the principled argument for LVT is compelling, and our (likely) next Prime Minister has supported it for many years., calling it “aspirational socialism”; a 2022 LBC interview described LVT as “a very productive form of […]
a map of England showing the projected impact of a £1.5m mansion tax
Jul 7, 2026 Analysis

What if Andy Burnham lowered the mansion tax threshold to £1.5m?

The November 2025 Budget introduced a “mansion tax” – formally, the “high value council tax surcharge” – an annual charge on homes worth £2m or more. The Mail on Sunday has reported that Andy Burnham may lower the threshold to £1.5m. We’ve looked at what that might mean: who would pay, where the properties are, […]
A crowd of people
Jun 5, 2026 Policy

Has Britain run out of “other people” to tax?

British politics has spent a generation avoiding the same uncomfortable question: what if the government people want costs more than most voters are willing to pay? The answer, from Labour and the Conservatives alike, has been to tax “other people”. Higher earners. Banks. People with capital gains, second homes, large pensions, non-dom status, inherited wealth […]
Chart showing France has far more taxes than any other developed country; Germany has the least of any large country; the UK is in the middle
May 30, 2026 Policy

The UK has 90 different taxes. France has 348. Germany has 60. Why?

The UK has 90 different taxes – more than at any time since 1834. France, on the other hand, has 348. But Germany, which has overall levels of tax closer to France than the UK, has only 60. Why is that? And are there lessons for the UK? This is the third in a series. […]
A History of Tax
May 29, 2026 Policy

Why does Britain have more taxes than at any time since 1834?

Tax in the UK is the highest it’s been since 1945. That’s well understood – but another trend has been largely missed: the number of taxes in the UK is at its highest since the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Back then, the Government was fighting France and building the modern state. Afterwards, and over […]
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. Update 29 May 2026: the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury responded to this article by pointing out that the Government had just abolished bingo duty, folded diverted profits tax into corporation tax, and ended the pseudo-tax […]
Government revenue relative to 2025 —= UK Advanced economies =< Advanced economies minus US —. United States —— Germany = France Japan Canada = italy South Korea Australia —=——— Spain == Netherlands Poland 20 0, T ; T T ; T 1 1 T 1 1980 1985 1930 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Apr 29, 2026 Analysis

Tax will go up but public services will get worse. This is why.

UK tax as a percentage of GDP is on course to be the highest since 1945. Over the next four years it will increase further. Government spending won’t increase as a percent of GDP over this period; given the ageing population, that means public services for most people are likely to decline. This article looks […]
A very small tax cut, barely visible on the chart
Jan 14, 2026 Analysis

The Scottish Budget – four thoughts on a tiny tax cut

The Scottish Budget was on 13 January 2026. The flagship policy is being widely reported as a cut in income tax for low earners, by increasing thresholds from 2026/27. The 20% basic rate will now start at £16,538 instead of £15,398. The 21% intermediate rate will now start at £29,527 instead of £27,492. This is […]
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Nov 27, 2025 Analysis

The mansion tax map: where the money comes from

We’ve modelled the impact of the English “mansion tax” by analysing land registry data on every property transaction since 1995. This lets us estimate how much each postcode and Parliamentary constituency will pay. It’s an approximate and lower-bound estimate – see methodology details below. As property taxes are devolved, there’s currently no mansion tax in […]

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