Tax Wealth Not Work: UK Fair Tax Reform Momentum Map

About

**Tax Wealth Not Work** A live UK momentum map for fair tax reform — showing the public support, expert evidence, policy options and coalition already building behind taxing extreme wealth more fairly. The UK does not lack ideas for fairer taxation. It lacks a single public place where the evidence, policy work, public support and campaign momentum can be seen together. Tax Wealth Not Work is a Snowball project to map the growing UK movement for fair tax reform and help turn public support into credible political action. It is inspired by voices including Gary Stevenson / Gary's Economics, Tax Justice UK, Patriotic Millionaires UK, Tax Justice Network, Oxfam, unions, researchers, campaigners and citizens who believe the tax system should stop overburdening work while undertaxing extreme wealth. **The case for taxing wealth, not work** The UK tax system places heavy pressure on income, wages, consumption and everyday work, while capital gains, inheritance, offshore ownership, share buybacks and passive asset growth are treated more lightly. Work is taxed heavily; wealth compounds faster than wages; public services stay under pressure; younger generations are locked out of asset ownership; small businesses and workers carry too much of the load; and extreme concentrations of wealth become politically and economically destabilising. This project is not about punishing success. It is about restoring fairness, funding public services, reducing inequality and building a tax system that supports productive work and long-term investment. **Political context (July 2026)** Andy Burnham is reported as the UK's incoming Prime Minister, with Shabana Mahmood expected as Chancellor. Burnham is not expected to introduce a wealth tax immediately, but has spoken about fairness and difficult fiscal choices ahead. This project positions itself as a constructive "fair tax readiness map" for the new government — not a partisan attack. **Public progress so far** - 2020 — UK Wealth Tax Commission publishes one of the most detailed evidence bases on wealth-tax design and feasibility. - 2024 — Under Brazil's G20 presidency, Gabriel Zucman's proposed 2% minimum tax on billionaires enters serious international debate. - 2025 — YouGov polling shows ~75% public support for a 2% wealth tax on assets above £10m; only 13% opposed. - 2025 — Patriotic Millionaires UK show many wealthy individuals themselves back higher taxes on extreme wealth. - 2025 — Richard Burgon MP delivers an 80,000-signature wealth-tax petition to Downing Street. - 2025 — TUC polling: 68% support / 22% oppose a 2% annual wealth tax over £10m. - 2025 — NEU backs progressive tax reform to fund schools. - 2025 — 38 Degrees, Oxfam GB, Greenpeace UK, Green New Deal Rising, Patriotic Millionaires UK and Tax Justice UK jointly call for fairer Budget taxation. - 2025 — 724,438 petition signatures delivered to the Treasury demanding higher taxes on the wealthiest. - 2026 — Tax Justice UK publishes a package of ten reforms projected to raise £50bn+/year. - 2026 — Patriotic Millionaires UK keep alive a £60bn+ reform package. - 2026 — Gary Stevenson / Gary's Economics takes the wealth tax case mainstream via a Channel 4 documentary. - July 2026 — Burnham government transition opens a constructive briefing window. **Policy options already on the table** 1. 2% wealth tax on assets above £10m (~£24bn/year, ~0.04% of population) 2. Reform capital gains tax so income from wealth is not taxed more lightly than income from work 3. Apply National Insurance to investment income 4. Reform inheritance tax loopholes on very large estates 5. Close non-dom and offshore loopholes; strengthen beneficial-ownership transparency 6. Share buyback tax 7. Bank and excess-profit taxes 8. Property and land tax reform (council tax, business rates, land value taxation) **Briefing for Andy Burnham's government** If government will not ask more from work, where should fair contribution come from? This project asks the incoming government to: launch a Fair Tax Review; publish HM Treasury distributional analysis of wealth, capital gains, inheritance and passive income; commission independent modelling of a 2% wealth tax above £10m; review CGT loopholes and the gap between taxation of work and wealth; review dividends, investment income and share buybacks; strengthen beneficial ownership and offshore transparency; open a public consultation on shifting the burden off work; pilot a public Fair Tax Dashboard; work with Greater Manchester and other devolved areas on fair growth modelling; and use the Autumn Budget as a first practical step. **Inspired by Gary's Economics** Gary Stevenson has done more than most public figures to explain why extreme wealth inequality matters. But a movement cannot depend on one person constantly producing videos and media moments. Tax Wealth Not Work turns that public energy into shared infrastructure — an evidence map, momentum tracker, supporter map, MP and policy tracker, objections-and-answers library, media hub, coalition map and public action engine. From viral awareness to public campaign infrastructure. **Serious questions, serious answers** - *Won't the rich just leave?* Evidence on mobility is often overstated; design matters (phasing, exit taxes, anti-avoidance). - *Will it hit ordinary homeowners?* No — a 2% threshold above £10m affects only very high-wealth households. - *Can assets be valued?* Yes — the UK already values assets for inheritance, CGT, probate, divorce and business sales. - *Will it hurt entrepreneurs?* Good design protects productive enterprise while taxing accumulated extreme wealth. - *Will it raise enough?* No single reform solves everything — the case is for a package. - *Is this envy politics?* No — it is about fairness, economic stability and public services. **Core belief** A fair economy should reward work, enterprise and contribution — not allow extreme wealth to compound endlessly while ordinary people pay more and own less. The UK does not need to choose between economic credibility and fairness. A stronger country starts by asking a simple question: why do we tax work so heavily while extreme wealth keeps compounding?

Project brief

Problem

The UK tax system overburdens work and undertaxes extreme wealth. Income, wages, VAT, National Insurance, business rates and employment costs fall heavily on ordinary households, workers and small businesses, while capital gains, inheritance, offshore ownership, share buybacks and passive asset growth are treated more lightly. The result: wealth compounds faster than wages, public services stay under pressure, younger generations are locked out of housing and asset ownership, and extreme concentrations of wealth become politically and economically destabilising. Meanwhile the evidence, policy work, public support and campaign momentum for fair tax reform already exist — but they are scattered across think tanks, unions, campaigners, researchers, MPs and creators. There is no single public place where a Prime Minister, Chancellor, Treasury adviser, MP, journalist or citizen can see the full picture together.

Audience

- Andy Burnham's incoming government, Shabana Mahmood's Treasury team and their advisers - MPs, Treasury Select Committee members and relevant APPGs - Campaign organisations: Tax Justice UK, Patriotic Millionaires UK, 38 Degrees, Oxfam GB, Greenpeace UK, Green New Deal Rising, Positive Money, The Equality Trust, Global Justice Now - Research bodies: Wealth Tax Commission, CenTax, IFS, IPPR, Resolution Foundation, NEF, Institute for Government, EU Tax Observatory, LSE researchers - Trade unions and public-service voices: TUC, NEU, public-sector unions, NHS and social care campaigners, housing and anti-poverty groups - Media and creators: Gary Stevenson / Gary's Economics, economics communicators, inequality journalists, data-viz creators, podcasters - Unusual allies: millionaires who back higher wealth taxes, entrepreneurs, small business owners, young professionals locked out of housing, parents - Greater Manchester leaders interested in fair growth - Funders supporting independent civic-tech infrastructure

Progress so far

coalition-mapping - Snowball page in build. Core content, evidence timeline (2020–2026), policy options, coalition map, government briefing and objections-and-answers library drafted. Next: build dashboard modules (momentum score, progress timeline, partner map, policy readiness table, MP tracker, media tracker, evidence library, action engine) and open the coalition invitation to Tax Justice UK, Patriotic Millionaires UK, TUC, NEU, 38 Degrees, Oxfam GB and Gary's Economics.

Goals & timeline

Build a credible, non-partisan public momentum map for UK fair tax reform that: 1. Shows Andy Burnham's government, MPs, Treasury advisers and journalists that fair tax reform is already backed by strong public support, expert evidence, a broad coalition and workable policy options. 2. Provides a constructive Burnham briefing pathway: a Fair Tax Review, Treasury distributional analysis, independent modelling of a 2% wealth tax above £10m, CGT and investment-income reform, offshore transparency, public consultation and a Fair Tax Dashboard. 3. Turns viral public awareness (Gary's Economics, Channel 4 documentary, petitions) into durable shared infrastructure — evidence library, MP tracker, media tracker, policy readiness table, coalition map, objections-and-answers library and public action engine. 4. Helps campaign organisations coordinate rather than duplicate work. 5. Makes taxing wealth more fairly — not work — a normal, practical and politically unavoidable conversation.

Resources needed

- Policy researchers to validate the evidence base and improve the Burnham briefing - Tax lawyers and accountants to stress-test feasibility, avoidance risks and implementation - Economists to model revenue, behavioural response and distributional impact - Data-visualisation volunteers to turn tax and wealth data into accessible dashboards (momentum score, timeline, coalition map, policy readiness table, MP tracker, media tracker, evidence library) - Campaign partners to connect existing organisations rather than duplicate their work - MPs and advisers to feed the work into parliamentary and Treasury discussions - Public storytellers explaining how unfair taxation affects work, housing, children, small businesses and public services - Public champions (Gary's Economics and others) to amplify momentum - Funders to support an independent civic-tech platform for fair tax reform

Existing stakeholders

Inspiration and public voices: Gary Stevenson / Gary's Economics. Campaign organisations: Tax Justice UK, Tax Justice Network, Patriotic Millionaires UK, 38 Degrees, Oxfam GB, Greenpeace UK, Green New Deal Rising, Global Justice Now, Positive Money, The Equality Trust, Taxpayers Against Poverty. Research and policy: Wealth Tax Commission, CenTax, IFS contributors, IPPR, Resolution Foundation, NEF, Institute for Government, EU Tax Observatory, Gabriel Zucman. Unions and public-service voices: TUC, NEU, public-sector unions, NHS campaigners, social care advocates, housing campaigners, anti-poverty organisations. Political/parliamentary: MPs supporting wealth-tax and CGT reform, Treasury Select Committee members, inequality/poverty/public-services APPGs, Greater Manchester leaders. Media/creators: economics communicators, inequality journalists, podcast hosts, data-visualisation creators. Unusual allies: millionaires backing higher wealth taxes, entrepreneurs, small business owners, young professionals, parents.

Project owner

Doug Tracey

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Updates

• 7/15/2026
  Refresh: Fair Tax Momentum Map + Burnham briefing framing

  Refreshed the project brief to position Tax Wealth Not Work as a constructive UK fair-tax momentum map and briefing for Andy Burnham's incoming government (with Shabana Mahmood expected at the Treasury). Key updates: - New core message: Tax Wealth Not Work. Secondary: a fair tax system should reward work, enterprise and contribution — not allow extreme wealth to compound while public services decline. - Added a 2020–2026 public progress timeline (Wealth Tax Commission, G20/Zucman, YouGov ~75% support, Patriotic Millionaires UK, Burgon petition, TUC 68% support, NEU, 38 Degrees + Oxfam + Greenpeace + GNDR coalition, 724k petition delivery, Tax Justice UK £50bn+ package, £60bn+ Patriotic Millionaires package, Gary's Economics Channel 4 documentary, Burnham transition). - Added policy options table: 2% wealth tax above £10m, CGT reform, NI on investment income, inheritance loophole reform, non-dom/offshore transparency, share buyback tax, bank/excess profit taxes, property and land tax reform. - Added Burnham government briefing asks: Fair Tax Review, Treasury distributional analysis, independent modelling of a 2% wealth tax >£10m, CGT/investment-income review, beneficial ownership transparency, public consultation, Fair Tax Dashboard pilot, Greater Manchester fair-growth modelling. - Added respectful Gary's Economics section: "from viral awareness to public campaign infrastructure". - Added objections-and-answers library (mobility, homeowners, valuation, entrepreneurs, revenue, envy politics). - Raised momentum score from 15 to 32 to reflect coalition depth and public support already evident. Next step: build the dashboard modules (momentum score, timeline, coalition map, policy readiness table, MP tracker, media tracker, evidence library, action engine) and invite founding partner organisations.