Gary Lineker among millionaires campaigning to pay more tax
Millionaires including former footballer Gary Lineker and music producer Brian Eno have written to new prime minister Andy Burnham demanding more taxes.
In an open letter, 120 wealthy Britons told Burnham: “We can afford it. We’re talking about higher taxes on the richest whose income comes from the wealth they hold, not those who get up and go to work every day for their income.”
The letter, organized by Patriotic Millionaires, stated that this would lead to a more equal society and called for “the transfer of wealth and power from the richest.”
People can already voluntarily donate money or shares to the Treasury using the donation facility.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Lineker was “happy to pay more taxes, he can write a check to the Treasury, no one can stop him”.
Patriot Millionaires supports a 2% tax on fortunes over £10 million.
“Millionaires are a patriotic group,” the letter says. “We love this country and want it to succeed.
“But success requires investment, and the primary source of untouched capital investment stands right there with untaxed potential.”
Other signatories include Notting Hill manager Richard Curtis and Ian Gregg, former managing director of Greggs and son of the bakery chain’s founder. Scottish crime writer Val McDermid and former financial trader and equality campaigner Gary Stevenson also signed the letter.
Treasury Undersecretary Emma Reynolds said she would welcome British millionaires increasing the amount of tax they pay, but any major changes would be announced during the Budget.
“I welcome people who are doing well to say they want to pay more. They can pay more,” he said, pointing to the Treasury’s donation link.
The new call for higher taxes on the rich is a continuation of a similar campaign in previous years.
Burnham did not rule out a wealth tax when asked about it by Lineker, who became the BBC’s highest-paid presenter just days before becoming prime minister.
He suggested he might have to “ask for a little more tax” at some point.
Lineker was earning a salary of around £1.3 million the year before he left the BBC. Its reported value is £30 million.
The latest call from Patriotic Millionaires said there is a “need to embrace a new kind of transfer of wealth and power from the richest to reinvest in our greatest asset in every region.”
He added that in his own survey, the majority of millionaires wanted higher taxes imposed on them.
“There are a few left with outdated economic thinking and a few desperate to hang on to every penny they can… Those who cannot see through their own personal interests have no place in designing a Britain for the future,” the letter said.
