Britain’s biggest taxpayers revealed: Gambling tycoons top list with £400m tax bill, while Premier League stars join Harry Styles, JK Rowling and Anthony Joshua in the top 100
Britain’s biggest taxpayers revealed; Gambling tycoons top the list, while Premier League footballers and pop stars also join some of the country’s best-known names.
Sunday Times Tax List 2026 It shows the UK’s 100 biggest taxpayers handed over a total of £5.758bn to the Treasury last year, with millions of Britons racing to meet the self-assessment deadline at the end of January.
Gambling founders Fred Done and Peter Done top the rankings for the first time after paying an estimated £400.1 million in taxes in 12 months; This represents a sharp increase compared to £273.4 million in the previous year.
The brothers founded Betfred in 1967 and remain based in Warrington, Cheshire. Their massive contributions place them ahead of the hedge fund and financial figures who dominate the rest of the top 20.
New faces on the 2026 list include former One Direction star Harry Styles, who entered at No. 54 for £24.7 million.
Two Premier League players also make their debuts.
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who earns around £500,000 a week plus bonuses, paid an estimated £16.9 million, while Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah contributed £14.5 million across his wages, bonuses and commercial deals.
Other well-known names on the list include JK Rowling, who came in 36th place, paying £47.5 million, which equates to around £130,000 a day.
Brothers Fred (left) and Peter Done (right) own BetFred as well as a company that provides consultancy to public sector staff. Gambling founders Fred Done (left) and Peter Done (right) for the first time
Britain’s biggest taxpayers revealed; Gambling tycoons top the list, while Premier League footballers and pop stars also join some of the country’s best-known names. New faces on the 2026 list include former One Direction star Harry Styles, who entered at No. 54 for £24.7 million.
Other well-known names on the list include JK Rowling, who came in 36th place, paying £47.5 million, which equates to around £130,000 a day.
Singer Ed Sheeran is also on this list, while heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua also makes the top 100 with a tax bill of £11 million.
The eighth edition of the Tax List shows that every individual or family pays at least £11 million to gain a place; that’s £500,000 more than last year.
Fourteen taxpayers contributed more than £100 million, with the total paid by the top 100 rising by 15.5 per cent on a year ago.
Robert Watts, who compiled the list, said the increase was largely due to higher corporate tax and dividend rates.
He said: ‘The Sunday Times Tax List features household names from some of the unsung heroes of our economy, as well as some of the quietly successful entrepreneurs who have created companies that employ hundreds of people and pour huge sums into the public exchequer.’
Construction was the best-represented sector overall, while finance and gambling were also at the top of the rankings.
The research also revealed that one in nine people on the list no longer reside in the UK, choosing instead to live in places such as Monaco, Dubai and Switzerland.
Heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua, who also features singer Ed Sheeran, enters the top 100 with an £11m tax bill
Two Premier League players also make their debuts. Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who earns around £500,000 a week plus bonuses, was paid an estimated £16.9 million.
Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah contributes £14.5m through salary, bonuses and commercial deals
Mr Watts warned that although many people still hand out large sums of money through their businesses, the Treasury will collect even more if they remain liable for personal tax in Britain.
All figures are calculated using the most recently opened company accounts and include corporation tax, income tax, dividends, capital gains and certain charges.
Mr Watts added: ‘One in nine people on the Tax Roll are no longer listed here as resident in the UK; instead he chooses to live in Monaco, Dubai, Switzerland, Cyprus, Portugal, the United States or the Channel Islands.
‘Clearly, Tax Lists who have moved overseas are still sending large sums to HM Treasury through their businesses, but if they had chosen to stay here and remain liable for personal tax, the Chancellor would no doubt have collected even more money from these people.
‘It’s hard to see how the exodus of the super-rich from these shores is anything to cheer those who care about the future of our public finances.’
