A 100% tax rate above £770 million would raise £8-12bn annually while restoring democracy, addressing climate breakdown, and rebuilding social mobility.
50 UK families hold more wealth than 34 million people—half the populationOxfam UK
The top 1% hold 10% of all wealth—equal to the poorest 50% combined. The next 9% hold 33%, while the middle 40% hold 48%.ONS 2022
Increase in billionaire wealth since 1990 (inflation-adjusted)World Inequality Database
Rich list wealth grew 4 times faster than median household wealth since 2008Resolution Foundation
How much better off typical households would be if they'd kept paceResolution Foundation
IMF research spanning 159 countries demolishes trickle-down mythologyIMF 2015
Source: IMF, 159 countries. When the bottom 20%'s share increases 1%, GDP grows 0.38 points. When the top 20%'s share increases 1%, GDP shrinks 0.08 points.IMF 2015
To reach average income from poverty
To reach average income from poverty
The UK ranks 21st of 82 nations on social mobility—behind Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands.OECD
When 66% of donations come from 19 people, we have oligarchy, not democracyAutonomy Institute
Just 10 men gave £106m—20% of all major individual donations over two decades. Four are billionaires with an average age of 70.openDemocracy
Of all major donations from just 10 individualsopenDemocracy
From unknown or questionable sources (2001-2024)Transparency International UK
Of the public believe the very rich have too much influence on UK politicsWarwick University
The richest 1% emit as much as the poorest 5 billion peopleOxfam 2023
The richest 1% produce 110 tonnes CO2 per capita annually—nearly 70 times more than the bottom 50%.Oxfam 2023
Investment emissions are 340× higher than personal consumption. Billionaires control $4.3 trillion in fossil fuel holdings.Oxfam
Deliberate decisions since 1979 engineered extreme wealth concentration
Tax cuts begin: Top rate slashed from 83% to 60%
"Big Bang" deregulation: Financial sector grows from 100% to 450% of GDP
Further cuts: Top rate drops to 40%—43 point reduction in 9 years
Privatization wave: £60+ billion in public assets sold, often below market value
CGT collapse: Capital gains tax reduced to flat 18%, now 18-24%
Legally feasible, administratively viable, historically proven, and publicly supported
From wealth cap alone
Out of 68 million
Revenue projections are based on rigorous economic methodology and multiple verified data sources:
Result: Wealth above the £770 million threshold yields £8-12 billion in net annual revenue after accounting for enforcement costs and conservative avoidance estimates.
The UK already has some wealth-related taxes, but they're limited in scope and easily avoided:
Of NHS maintenance backlog (£13.8bn)
Of schools maintenance backlog (£13.8bn)
Annual NHS capital investment gap (£4.1bn)
US GDP growth averaged 3.7% annually from 1947-1973 with 91%+ top rates vs 2.3% from 1980-2018 with lower rates.Piketty & Saez
UK billionaires alone hold enough wealth to end multiple global crises—and still remain extraordinarily wealthy
UK billionaires hold £773 billion combined. Global billionaires hold far more. Here's what these sums could achieve:
To lift 700m people out of extreme poverty by 2030UNU-WIDER 2024
Share of UK billionaire wealth needed to end UK homelessness (£19bn of £773bn over 23 years)Crisis UK
Share of UK billionaire wealth to fund ending extreme poverty globally for one year (£56bn of £773bn)UNU-WIDER 2024
Annual cost of child poverty to the UK economy—could be addressed with 5% of UK billionaire wealthCPAG 2023
Research consistently shows that solving these problems is far cheaper than managing their consequences:
Crisis working with PwC found ending homelessness would deliver benefits worth £26.4bn while costing £9.9bn over 10 years—a net benefit of £16.5bn. We spend more managing poverty than it would cost to end it.Crisis UK
YouGov polling (July 2025): 75% support 2% wealth tax on assets above £10m. Only 13% oppose.YouGov 2025
Labour MPs backing wealth tax amendmentsTax Justice UK
Signatures on wealth tax petitionsUK Parliament
Prefer taxing richest over spending cutsIPPR
The UK has the diplomatic influence and economic credibility to lead a global coalition for wealth taxation—making capital flight impossible and inspiring systemic change worldwide.
As a G7 nation, permanent UN Security Council member, and host of the world's second-largest financial center, the UK is uniquely positioned to coordinate international wealth taxation. Unilateral action alone won't prevent the ultra-wealthy from relocating assets—but a coordinated coalition will.
Leaders committed to effective taxation of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (Rio Declaration, July 2024)G20 2024
Successfully coordinated global minimum corporate tax of 15% across 140+ countriesOECD
IMF, OECD, UN, and World Bank created the Platform for Collaboration on Tax in 2016PCT
Recent breakthroughs in international tax coordination prove that collective action is both possible and effective:
Platform for Collaboration on Tax: IMF, OECD, UN, and World Bank coordinate to combat tax evasionOECD
OECD Global Tax Deal: 140+ countries agree to 15% minimum corporate tax—ending the race to the bottomOECD BEPS
G20 Coalition Emerges: NGOs, economists, millionaires, and politicians call for coordinated wealth taxation of ultra-richEU Tax Observatory
G20 Rio Declaration: Leaders commit to engage cooperatively to ensure ultra-high-net-worth individuals are effectively taxedG20 2024
The main objection to wealth taxes—capital flight—evaporates when nations act together. The UK can lead a coalition of willing nations to:
One-time wealth tax on high-net-worth individuals who renounce citizenship or relocate assetsUN DESA
OECD-led transparency initiatives enable automatic exchange of tax information across bordersOECD
Coordinated minimum wealth tax rates prevent competitive undercutting between nationsEU Tax Observatory
The momentum is building. Spain, France, Germany, and Brazil have all expressed support for coordinated wealth taxation. The UK can either lead this coalition—or watch from the sidelines as others shape the future of global tax justice.EU Tax Observatory
Extreme wealth concentration damages economic growth, captures democracy, accelerates climate breakdown, and eliminates social mobility. A 100% tax above £770 million has full legal authority, strong enforcement mechanisms, and overwhelming public support.