Who’s Really Paying the Tax Bill in the UK?
Every year, 33.3 million people in Britain hand over their income and capital gains to HMRC, bringing in a cool £232.7 billion. But the real star performers? Think of the top 100 000 earners and the top 100—they’re the ones pulling the weight.
The Big 100 000: Small Numbers, Big Impact
- On average, each of the highest‑earning 100 000 paid £559,000 in 2021/22.
- That’s an 18% jump from the previous year’s £475,000.
- They shot straight through 24.1 % of HMRC’s whole income‑and‑capital‑gains haul—yet they’re only a sliver of the taxpayer population, 0.3 % to be exact.
The Superstar Top 100: A Tax‑Jin‑Jin
- Collectively, the top 100 grabbed a staggering £4.6 billion—that’s £46 million each!
- That’s a 14 % rise from the £3.9 billion paid the previous year.
Why It Matters (and Why Politicians Should Listen)
- The top 100 000 paid £55 billion—a whopping 24 % of all income and capital‑gains receipts.
- Over the last five years, the tax bite on the richest has gone up by 45 %.
- Despite being only 0.0003 % of the tax‑paying crowd, the top 100 still account for 2 % of the total.
- If these heavy‑hitters wander off to sunnier tax climates, the UK could lose £4.6 billion in receipts; a migration of just the top 1 000 could hit £11.5 billion—a serious dent in the nation’s coffers.
Bottom Line: The Rich Are Not the Tax‑Evasion Myth
While some claim the wealthy dodge their fair share, the numbers contradict that narrative: the richest are paying a sizeable portion of our tax pie, and the burden on them is growing. Politicians might want to tread carefully when re‑shaping tax policies.
