Say what you like about Keir Starmer – but he pays his taxes
Politically, you can say what you like about Keir Starmer – but he pays his taxes just as fully as we do.
He may not be everyone’s cup of tea politically, but unlike many in public life, Starmer’s tax returns are transparent, accurate, and entirely above board.
He earns well, and he pays what he owes — without the need for offshore trusts, shell companies, or creative accounting.
Details of his income tax payment for the year 2023-4 have just been made public. On an income of £152,225, comprising his salary as an MP, the top-up for being leader of the Opposition, book royalties and interest on savings, he paid £54,718.
That’s an effective tax rate of 35.9 per cent, which is spot-on for what he earned.
We have to remember that the first £12,570 was tax-free. That leaves £139,655. He then paid 20 per cent on his earnings up to £37,700 – that’s £7,540. From £37,701 to £125,140 he paid 40 per cent – £34,976. And from £125,140 to £139,655 he paid 45 per cent – £6,531.75.
That comes to £49,047.75. The difference between that and the £54,718 he actually paid suggests that he paid tax on benefits-in-kind that he has received.
You may recall he was involved in the scandal that was dubbed FreebieGate – after which he had to return gifts he had received. This tax might have been paid on items he could not return – like tickets to events and hospitality from donors. Those are taxable perks.
So he didn’t even try to wriggle out of tax on gifts he could not return. No fancy loopholes. No sneaky dodges. Not glamorous – but welcome.
So say what you like about Starmer – he played it straight. You can’t say that about every prime minister we’ve had.
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Well, Boris did pay his taxes. US Capital Gains taxes on the sale of his London flat because as he was born in New York, he was an “accidental American” and thus subject to US taxes, and even someone as flippant as Johnson knows better than to piss off the IRS.
Unless Johnson had an unexplained tax nexus with the US – citizenship or residency – he would not have had to pay anything to the IRS. If you think being born in the States makes him subject to US taxes you’d better provide the receipts.
Do you really believe that it is transparent to only report investment income amounting to £5,174 of UK Bank interest? It may well be that the rest of his money has been put in his wife’s name. Perfectly legal but why bother publishing the tax return at all if you are going to hide stuff?
You need to have a think. The TAX on the INTEREST on the money in his UK bank account came to £5,174. His account would have contained anything up to half a million pounds. Seriously: I don’t think he’s hiding stuff.