London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2026

Labour's Tax Crackdown: Boosting HMRC to Fund NHS and School Breakfast Clubs, Raising £5.1bn Annually

Labour plans to fund policies on the NHS and school breakfast clubs by increasing tax collection efforts, promising up to £555m for officials.
This is expected to raise £5.1bn annually.

Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, accused the Conservatives of failing to address tax dodging.

The Conservatives introduced 200 measures to combat tax non-compliance, but the Labour Party cannot yet specify how they will fund their promises without raising taxes.

Labour had previously planned to pay for these pledges by replacing the UK's non-dom tax regime.

The UK government is planning to change tax rules for non-domiciled individuals, who live in the UK but pay taxes in their home country, to fund a cut to National Insurance.

This move has raised questions for the Labour party, which has a self-imposed rule against borrowing for day-to-day spending.

In response, Labour's Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has proposed an alternative plan to increase tax collections.

According to Labour, the tax gap between what is owed and what the government collects was £36bn in the 2021/22 financial year.

The Labour party proposes increasing funding to tackle tax evasion and fraud by investing £555m in hiring more tax officers and digitizing the tax office.

This approach is estimated to raise £5.8bn annually by the end of the parliament.

The National Audit Office head suggested the government could save £6bn yearly by addressing tax evasion and avoidance.

Labour aims to provide HMRC with the necessary resources to investigate tax evaders and modernize the tax office.

HMRC has been calculating the tax gap since 2005.

The text discusses the reduction of the gap between the UK's tax revenue and spending, which has fallen from 7.5% in 2005 to 4.8% in 2021/22.

The Labour party supports the proposed replacement of non-dom rules but suggests strengthening it by including foreign assets held in trust within UK inheritance tax and removing a 50% discount in the first year of the new rules.

These changes could bring in £1bn in one year and £2.6bn over the next Parliament.

The Liberal Democrats believe these changes are not enough and have proposed fully-costed plans to fund care for everyone.

It's common for governments to announce plans to increase revenue by reducing tax avoidance or evasion.

The text discusses the UK government's plan to increase corporation tax to help pay for COVID-19 recovery efforts.

However, the author notes that the Office for Budget Responsibility has expressed uncertainty about how much revenue this measure will actually generate and how quickly it can be brought in.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Starmer Steps Back from Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Amid Strained US–UK Relations
Prince Harry’s Lawyer Tells UK Court Daily Mail Was Complicit in Unlawful Privacy Invasions
UK Government Approves China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London Amid Debate Over Security and Diplomacy
Trump Cites UK’s Chagos Islands Sovereignty Shift as Justification for Pursuing Greenland Acquisition
UK Government Weighs Australia-Style Social Media Ban for Under-Sixteens Amid Rising Concern Over Online Harm
Trump Aides Say U.S. Has Discussed Offering Asylum to British Jews Amid Growing Antisemitism Concerns
UK Seeks Diplomatic De-escalation with Trump Over Greenland Tariff Threat
Prince Harry Returns to London as High Court Trial Begins Over Alleged Illegal Tabloid Snooping
High-Speed Train Collision in Southern Spain Kills at Least Twenty-One and Injures Scores
Meghan Markle May Return to the U.K. This Summer as Security Review Advances
Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat Sparks EU Response and Risks Deep Transatlantic Rift
Prince Harry’s High Court Battle With Daily Mail Publisher Begins in London
Trump’s Tariff Escalation Presents Complex Challenges for the UK Economy
UK Prime Minister Starmer Rebukes Trump’s Greenland Tariff Strategy as Transatlantic Tensions Rise
Prince Harry’s Last Press Case in UK Court Signals Potential Turning Point in Media and Royal Relations
OpenAI to Begin Advertising in ChatGPT in Strategic Shift to New Revenue Model
GDP Growth Remains the Most Telling Barometer of Britain’s Economic Health
Prince William and Kate Middleton Stay Away as Prince Harry Visits London Amid Lingering Rift
Britain Braces for Colder Weather and Snow Risk as Temperatures Set to Plunge
Mass Protests Erupt as UK Nears Decision on China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London
Prince Harry to Return to UK to Testify in High-Profile Media Trial Against Associated Newspapers
Keir Starmer Rejects Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat as ‘Completely Wrong’
Trump to hit Europe with 10% tariffs until Greenland deal is agreed
Prince Harry Returns to UK High Court as Final Privacy Trial Against Daily Mail Publisher Begins
Britain Confronts a Billion-Pound Wind Energy Paradox Amid Grid Constraints
The graduate 'jobpocalypse': Entry-level jobs are not shrinking. They are disappearing.
Cybercrime, Inc.: When Crime Becomes an Economy. How the World Accidentally Built a Twenty-Trillion-Dollar Criminal Economy
The Return of the Hands: Why the AI Age Is Rewriting the Meaning of “Real Work”
UK PM Kier Scammer Ridicules Tories With "Kamasutra"
Strategic Restraint, Credible Force, and the Discipline of Power
United Kingdom and Norway Endorse NATO’s ‘Arctic Sentry’ Mission Including Greenland
Woman Claiming to Be Freddie Mercury’s Secret Daughter Dies at Forty-Eight After Rare Cancer Battle
UK Launches First-Ever ‘Town of Culture’ Competition to Celebrate Local Stories and Boost Communities
Planned Sale of Shell and Exxon’s UK Gas Assets to Viaro Energy Collapses Amid Regulatory and Market Hurdles
UK Intensifies Arctic Security Engagement as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Fuels Allied Concern
Meghan Markle Could Return to the UK for the First Time in Nearly Four Years If Security Is Secured
Meghan Markle Likely to Return to UK Only if Harry Secures Official Security Cover
UAE Restricts Funding for Emiratis to Study in UK Amid Fears Over Muslim Brotherhood Influence
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks to Safeguard Long-Term Agreement Stability
Starmer’s Push to Rally Support for Action Against Elon Musk’s X Faces Setback as Canada Shuns Ban
UK Free School Meals Expansion Faces Political and Budgetary Delays
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks With Britain
Germany Hit by Major Airport Strikes Disrupting European Travel
Prince Harry Seeks King Charles’ Support to Open Invictus Games on UK Return
Washington Holds Back as Britain and France Signal Willingness to Deploy Troops in Postwar Ukraine
Elon Musk Accuses UK Government of Suppressing Free Speech as X Faces Potential Ban Over AI-Generated Content
Russia Deploys Hypersonic Missile in Strike on Ukraine
OpenAI and SoftBank Commit One Billion Dollars to Energy and Data Centre Supplier
UK Prime Minister Starmer Reaffirms Support for Danish Sovereignty Over Greenland Amid U.S. Pressure
UK Support Bolsters U.S. Seizure of Russian-Flagged Tanker Marinera in Atlantic Strike on Sanctions Evasion
×