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We investigate the real-world impact of the UK tax and legal system, expose avoidance and abuse, and propose practical reforms.

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Nigel Farage probably doesn’t owe tax on his £5m gift
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Angela Rayner stamp duty Angela Rayner stamp duty: why did HMRC charge no penalty? Zack Polanski’s boat, council tax, and Zack Polanski’s boat, council tax, and electoral law Iain Clifford Stamp’s $600m US tax Iain Clifford Stamp’s $600m US tax fraud and its 3,000 victims How to reform capital gains tax How to reform capital gains tax and cut income tax – Tax Policy Associates Our take on the Reform UK Our take on the Reform UK manifesto – Tax Policy Associates
Iain Stamp claiming to have made $600m of fraudulent US tax refund claims
May 17, 2026 Investigations

The British fugitive, his $600m US tax fraud, and its 3,000 victims

Iain Clifford Stamp told his followers the IRS owed them millions. Not because they had paid US tax, or because they had US investments. But because they had once signed mortgages, loans and credit-card agreements here in the UK. Stamp says his organisation filed claims for 3,000 people, worth $600 million. The IRS froze the […]
Angela Rayner
May 14, 2026 Analysis

Why did HMRC not charge Angela Rayner a penalty?

UPDATED 5pm: We have now spoken to Graham Aaronson KC, who advised Angela Rayner. He says that HMRC’s decision is explained by facts not apparent from Sir Laurie Magnus’s report. We have reflected his account below. But Ms Rayner’s team is not releasing the underlying documents, and we cannot accept the word of one party […]
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May 14, 2026 Investigations

Liberty Rock’s claim that a magic cheque can pay your tax

A business called Liberty Rock is marketing a bizarre tax “solution”: supposedly paying your tax by sending HMRC a “magic cheque” which claims to be a bill of exchange. HMRC has issued a “tax fraud” warning about these schemes. We agree: this looks like fraud. We are publishing full details of the Liberty Rock scheme, […]
Lee Valley marina
May 11, 2026 Investigations

Zack Polanski’s boat: if his “home”, he failed to pay council tax. If only there “occasionally”, he broke electoral law.

Zack Polanski and his partner lived on a boat for three years, and described it as their “amazing home”. Mr Polanski was registered to vote at a nearby bungalow. If, as seems likely, that was his main residence, then Mr Polanski and his partner should have paid council tax there – but they didn’t. Mr […]
Government revenue relative to 2025 —= UK Advanced economies =< Advanced economies minus US —. United States —— Germany = France Japan Canada = italy South Korea Australia —=——— Spain == Netherlands Poland 20 0, T ; T T ; T 1 1 T 1 1980 1985 1930 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Apr 29, 2026 Analysis

Tax will go up but public services will get worse. This is why.

UK tax as a percentage of GDP is on course to be the highest since 1945. Over the next four years it will increase further. Government spending won’t increase as a percent of GDP over this period; given the ageing population, that means public services for most people are likely to decline. This article looks […]
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Apr 18, 2026 Investigations

Richard Tice signed accounts wrongly claiming £98,000 of tax exemptions

Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, used his Quidnet property company’s REIT status to save tax. That meant Quidnet itself paid no corporation tax on its property business – but the quid pro quo was that its corporate shareholders had to pay tax on the dividends they received. They did not. Instead, Mr […]
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