Record number of tax payers

Number of people paying income tax hits 35.5m

The number of people paying income tax in the UK has increased by 4.5m since the Conservatives came to power, with 35.5m people now paying income tax compared to 31m in 2010. Analysis by the TaxPayers' Alliance shows that most of these new taxpayers have been pulled into the net over the last three years due to the Government's tax threshold freeze. The North East has seen the largest percentage increase in basic rate taxpayers, while the South East has seen the largest increase in total income tax payers. Darwin Friend, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: “Taxpayers in every corner of the UK are struggling with the bruising impact of tax rises and threshold freezes." He added: “The transformation of Britain into a high-tax, low-growth economy has hit almost every household, from Edinburgh to Eastleigh and Cardiff to Colchester." Mr Friend argues that ministers "must use the Budget to give taxpayers the income tax relief they desperately need.”